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Teen pregnancy has become a hot topic lately. From the success of "Juno" to the pregnancies of Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin, it seems as if the news has been bombarded with stories of teen pregnancies. Today is no different as a new report released today by the CDC has been front page news.
The report indicates that Mississippi is now the leader of teen pregnancies (pregnancies among girls 15-19), replacing Texas and New Mexico. In 2006, when the statistics were compiled, Mississippi's teen pregnancy rate was 60% above the national average (or approximately 68 births per 1000 girls in the population), followed by Texas and New Mexico, who both had rates at 50% above the national average. New Hampshire had the lowest rate at 19 births for every 1000 girls. The national average is 42 per 1000. 2006 also indicated the first time in 15 years that teen pregnancy rates had increased.
So where does Delaware fall into this trend? According to the report, Delaware had 41.9 births per 1000 girls in 2006, which is just about the national average. While it is a minimal improvement, statistically, from 2005, it indicates a 27% decrease since 1991.
The National Center for Teen Pregnancy Prevention highlights the cost of teen pregnancies to Delaware taxpayers, while the Delaware Commission for Women and the Delaware Teen Pregnancy Prevention program highlight some of the initiatives that are been taken to continue to lower Delaware's teen pregnancy rate.
Additional statistics on Delaware's teen pregnancy rate, as well as other indicators, can be found at www.dekidscount.org
How do you feel about teen pregnancy in Delaware? Is enough being done to prevent it? Or are the prevention programs backfiring? What would you do differently, if you were in charge?
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