Washington - The rate of US teenagers giving birth has sunk to a record low, with a dramatic drop among African American girls, according to a government report out this week.
After rising in the late 1980s, the birth rate among girls between 15-17 years old dropped steadily in the following 15 years, reaching a record low of 21 per 1 000 young women in 2005 compared to 39 in 1991, the report said.
The birth rate among black teenagers dropped by 60 percent, from 83,5 per 1 000 in 1991 to 35 in 2005, according to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.
Hispanic teens have now surpassed African Americans for the highest birth rate at 48 per 1 000 following a 30 percent drop between 1991-2005, said the report titled "America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being".
source
There was a slight decline in the onset of sexual activity, but it doesn't reflect the "aggregate" amount of sexual activity-- perhaps kids are having less sex.
The report found an increase in the use of condoms among sexually active girls, with 56 percent saying they used the contraceptive in 2005 compared to 38 percent in 1991.
And how many abortions are due to contraceptive failure? That'd be an interesting study.
UPDATE:
Even better info here
In 2005, 47 per cent of high school students – 6.7 million – reported ever having had sexual intercourse, down from 54 per cent in 1991. The rate of those who reported having had sex has remained the same since 2003.
Thirty-four per cent of the students reported having had sex during a three-month period in 2005. Of those, 63 per cent – about 3 million – used condoms. That is up from 46 per cent in 1991.
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