Center for American Progress

Even When Teen Pregnancy Rates Fall, Disparities Remain
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Even When Teen Pregnancy Rates Fall, Disparities Remain

Maggie Buchanan analyzes the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's recent teen pregnancy report and argues why lawmakers should invest in evidence-based prevention programs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recent report on teen pregnancy rates in the United States contains a lot of good news. For instance, teen pregnancy rates have fallen to an all-time low. Today, the teen birth rate is just over 25 births per 1,000 teenage women, compared to 62 births per 1,000 teenage women 25 years ago.

Based on that statistic alone, this report appears to give a cause for celebration. But once the results are examined more closely, it is clear that these latest numbers should also serve as a call to action. While the overall rate of teen births may be decreasing, the CDC’s report once again demonstrates that young women of color and those living in low-income areas are not receiving the support they need.

The above excerpt was originally published in Medium. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Maggie Jo Buchanan

Former Senior Director and Senior Legal Fellow, Women’s Initiative