Teen Pregnancy Data

CDC data show state by state differences in teen pregnancy rates.
The Hill (10/21, Lillis) reports in its Healthwatch blog, "Although national teen-pregnancy rates are on the decline, the disparities between states are often dramatic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Wednesday." The data reveal that "the regional disparities are stark," with "Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, for instance," showing "2008 birth rates" of "less than 25 per 1,000 teens aged 15 to 19," while "in the same year, Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas all had rates topping 60 per 1,000 teens." Just last month, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said, "Teen pregnancy is a serious national problem, and we need to use the best science of what works to address it."
ABC News (10/21, Hutchison) reports on its website, "While the teenage birth rate overall saw a 2.4 percent decline, large disparities in the prevalence of teen moms still exist from state to state, with the Southern states reporting the highest rates." In fact, "when comparing teen birth rates by state, the ten states with the highest number of teen moms were almost all southern states: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Nevada."