Black Teen Pregnancy Falls 51%; To A Historic Low!!!

Teen Mom Black Teen Pregnancy Falls 51%; To A Historic Low!!!

According to The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, teen pregnancy as a whole has been on the decline since its peak in 1990. Teenage girls’ pregnancy rate (15-17) has declined 52%, and 36% for those 18-19. Pregnancies for both black and white teens (non-Hispanic) has declined 51%. Why you may ask? Although I tend to believe Teen Mom has played a significant role in the decline (after watching that show I would NEV-ER want to be a teen mom) the study however site these factors:

The decline has been fueled by three factors: more teens are waiting to have sex; they also report fewer sexual partners and better use of contraception

Although teens are doing a better job of keeping their legs close, and making better choices, the media still highlight reports of sex-crazed teens along with reports of teen pregnancy:

…the credit for this remarkable national success story goes to teens themselves.Unfortunately, precious few adults are aware of this national success story.In fact, nearly half of Americans incorrectly believe the teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. has increased over the past two decades.

The rate for black teens were among the highest, so to see them fall is incredible. Although they have fallen proportionally to white teens, black teens still have more pregnancies under age than the other racial groups.

In the early 2000′s black teens managed to reduce the amount of pregnancies below that of Hispanic teens, but due to a recent surge in 2006, they have reclaimed the title for “most pregnancies” by teens based on race. Perhaps MTV needs to get more black teens on Teen Mom as a deterrent…

Another thing that has fallen significantly as well is the abortion rate.