Teen Pregnancy Rate for ’97 Hit 21-Year Low
The pregnancy rate for American teenagers fell in 1997 to its lowest point in at least 21 years, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
The 1997 rate of 94.3 pregnancies per 1,000 girls from 15 to 19 was lower than at any time since 1976, when the CDC began collecting data. More limited data indicate a continued decline in the teen pregnancy rate through 1999.
CDC officials attributed that to increased condom use, the availability of injectable and implanted birth control for women and a “leveling off” of teen sexual activity.
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