The rate of pregnancy among US teenagers has fallen to the lowest percentage in 20 years, and the number of abortions has also plummeted, according to a study released by the Alan Guttmacher Institute.
The teen pregnancy rate was at an all-time high in 1990, with 117 pregnancies per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19. By 1995, the rate had declined to 101. The report also noted that the abortion rate among teens fell by one-fourth between 1990 and 1995.
The study concluded the falling teen pregnancy rate can be attributed to fewer teens having sex and increased usage of contraceptives.
“This clearly shows that through the mid-90’s we have a dramatic drop in the teen pregnancy rate. . .and that’s very important,” Institute spokesperson Susan Tew said. “But we have to put that in the context of where we were to begin with, which is that we have one of the highest teen pregnancy rates of all industrialized countries.”
