Teen Pregnancy, Birth, Abortion Rates Decline In Georgia For Second Consecutive Year, State Reports

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 05 May 2006 - 9:00 PDT

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Teen pregnancy, birth and abortion rates for females between ages 10 and 19 in Georgia in 2004 declined for the second consecutive year, according to statistics released by the state government, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (McKenna, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/2). According to the statistics, Georgia's teen pregnancy rate decreased from 50.1 pregnancies per 1,000 girls in 1994 to 34.7 in 2004, the rate of births decreased from 35.6 per 1,000 girls in 1994 to 26.4 in 2004 and the abortion rate dropped from 12.3 per 1,000 teens in 1994 to 7.0 in 2004 (AP/AccessNorthGa, 5/2). Health officials attribute the decline to several factors, including an increased response to the abstinence message, a delay in sexual activity and wider and more effective use of contraception when teens do become sexually active. "This decrease is good news," Stuart Brown, director of the state Division of Public Health, said, adding, "It shows that the prevention programs and education conducted through DPH and our partners are working" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/2). The state statistics also show that more than 25% of pregnancies among women age 15 and older are repeat pregnancies, and about four out of five teenagers with children are unmarried. In addition, the results show a decrease in births to white and black teens and an increase in births to Hispanic teens (AP/AccessNorthGa, 5/2).

Editorial
"Fortunately, Georgia is having some success" in decreasing the teen pregnancy rate, which "argues strongly" for a "continued dual approach to teen pregnancy" that teaches both abstinence and contraceptive use, Maureen Downey writes for the editorial board of the Journal-Constitution. However, strategies that have worked well with white and black teens might "not resonate" with Latina girls because while the pregnancy rate has decreased among white and black teenage girls, there has been a "troubling rise" in Latina teen pregnancy and birth rates, the editorial says. According to the editorial, the rise might be attributed to a lack of birth control discussion with sex partners or the fact that Latinas are less likely to seek abortion services. "Unfortunately, Hispanics are also less likely to graduate high school, and in the end, dreams, aspirations and education are the best deterrents against teenage pregnancy," the editorial concludes (Downey, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/3).

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