A few weeks ago, the Guttmacher Institute published a news release by Rebecca Wind on their website titled, “US teen pregnancy rate at lowest level in nearly 40 years: Rates down among all racial and ethnic groups; disparities persists.” Since teen pregnancy’s peak in 1990, the US rate has declined by about 42%, as measured in 2008; currently, about 7% of 15-19 year old American women become pregnant. While this is “great news,” racial disparities are widening, with the teen pregnancy rate 2-3 times higher for black and Hispanic teens.
I remain critical of the celebratory tone of this piece, knowing that the U.S. still has the highest pregnancy rate of developed nations and 7th highest of all nations. It might also be important for readers to consider how these new statistics might be framed to fit particular political agendas; might social conservatives use it as evidence to support abstinence-only education although the article draws no correlations or causes?
