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Jamie Lynn Spears and Teen Pregnancy

Our original statements on the birth of Jamie Lynn's daughter:

Selected Press Clips

Why It Matters

 

Top Lines:

  • Nearly one-quarter of teen mothers have a second birth before age 20. 
  • Of the 435,000 births to teen in 2006, about 73,000 of them were 2nd children, 11,000 of them were 3rd children, and 1,000 of them were 4th children or over.  Put another way, there are about 85,000 repeat births to teens annually.  
  • Teen childbearing is associated with negative consequences for the mother and child—second and higher order births to teen mothers often make matters worse (see below for details on consequences). 
  • After peaking in the 1990s, the teen pregnancy and birth rates in the United States have declined by about one-third.   However, the most recent news is not as positive---the teen birth rate increased 3% between 2005 and 2006 (the most recent data available), the first increase in 15 years.  In addition, the declines in teen sexual activity and increases in teen contraceptive use have also leveled off.
  • Despite impressive progress in reducing teen pregnancy, at present, 3 in 10 girls in the United States get pregnant by age 20.
  • Teens consistently report that parents most influence their decisions about sex.

The Good News:

  • The teen pregnancy rate in the United States declined 38% between 1990 and 2004 (the most recent data available).
  • The teen birth rate declined 32% between 1991 and 2006.
  • The teen pregnancy and birth rates have declined in all 50 states and among all racial/ethnic groups.
  • The declines in teen pregnancy and birth rates have been driven by less sex and more contraception—that is, more teens are delaying sex and more sexually active teens are using contraception consistently and carefully.

The Bad News:

  • Despite these impressive declines, it is still the case the three in ten girls in the United States get pregnant by age 20.
  • These numbers are even higher in certain segments—among African American teen girls in the U.S., 51% get pregnant at least once before age 20, among Latina teens it’s 53%. Among non-Hispanic white teens its 19% -- or one-fifth.
  • At present, there are about 730,000 teen pregnancies and more than 400,000 teen births annually.
  • The most recent data on teen sexual activity and contraceptive use (CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2007) suggests that declines in teen sex and increases in teen contraceptive use have essentially come to a stand still.
  • The teen birth rate increased 3% between 2005 and 2006, the first increase in 15 years.

Pregnancy Resolution:

  • 57% of teen pregnancies in the U.S. end in a live birth, 27% end in abortion, and 16% end in miscarriage.
  • Of the 57% of teen pregnancies that end in a live birth, fewer than 3% result in adoption.
  • Only 17% of abortions occur to women under the age of 20. 

How the United States Compares:

  • The teen birth rate in the United States is higher than in other Western industrialized countries.
  • For example, the teen birth rate in the United States is almost 10 times higher than in the Netherlands, more than two and half times higher Canada, and 1.5 times higher than in the U.K., our closest competitor.  

What Teens Think (results from 2007 nationally representative survey commissioned by the National Campaign):

  • Teens say that parents (47%) most influence their decisions about sex.     Other sources of influence cited by teens include: friends (18%) religious leaders (7%) siblings (5%), teachers and other educators (4%) and the media (3%). 
  • 73% of adults and 56% of teens say they wish young people were getting more information about abstinence and contraception rather than either/or.

Consequences:

  • Less than half of young teen mothers (age 17 and younger) ever graduate from high school and fewer than 2% earn a college degree by age 30.
  • Children of teen mothers do worse in school than those born to older parents.  They are 50% more likely to repeat a grade and are less likely to complete high school than the children of older mothers, they also have lower performance on standardized tests.
  • Children of teen mothers are more likely to be born prematurely and at low birthweight and are twice as likely to suffer abuse and neglect than children born to older mothers.
  • Pregnant teens are far less likely to receive timely and consistent prenatal care than women who become pregnant at a later age.
  • Two-thirds of families begun by a young unmarried mother are poor.
  • More than half of all mothers on welfare had their first child as a teenager.
  • Teen mothers are likely to have a second birth relatively soon – about one-fourth of teen moms have a second child within 24 months of the first – which can further impede their ability to finish school, keep a job, or escape poverty.
  • Eight out of ten fathers don’t marry the teen mother of their child.
  • Daughters of teen mothers are more likely to become teen mothers themselves than daughters born to older women.
  • Teen childbearing in the United States costs taxpayers (federal, state, and local) at least $9.1 billion, according to a 2006 report by Saul Hoffman, Ph.D. and published by the National Campaign. Most of the costs of teen childbearing are associated with negative consequences for the children of teen mothers, including increased costs for health care, foster care, and incarceration.  (We also have the costs broken up by state http://thenationalcampaign.org/costs/tables.aspx)

For more information:

Contact Us

 

Bill Albert
Chief Operations Officer
202-478-8510		   Jessica Sheets
Manager, Communications Programs
202-478-8523