Fostering hope: Preventing teen pregnancy among youth in foster care

Abstract

Once considered an intractable social problem teen pregnancy and birth rates in the United States have improved dramatically since the early 1990s. The teen pregnancy rate fell 24 percent between 1992 and 2000 and the teen birth rate has declined by a stunning one-third between 1991 and 2003. Despite a decade of enormous progress the United States continues to have the highest teen pregnancy and birth rates in the fully industrialized world. Even with recent advances one in three girls in the United States becomes pregnant before age 20. While birth rates have plummeted in some states and among some ethnic groups the progress has been less dramatic in others. For example three states experienced increases in the teen birth rate between 2002 and 2003. Additional births to teens who are already parents continue to be a challenge as well. In 2003 there were nearly 85000 additional births to teen mothers. Twenty percent of teen mothers have a second birth before turning 20. Given the still high rates of teen pregnancy and births in this country the National Campaign has challenged the nation to achieve another one-third decline in teen pregnancy over the next decade. The easy wins may have already been won meaning the additional decline will require harder work and a more focused approach. (excerpt)