A decades-long drop in teen births is slowing, and advocates worry a reversal is coming medicalxpress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medicalxpress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The rate of teen births has dropped by 78 percent since a modern-day peak in 1991 of 61.8 births per 100,000 people. But since 2007, the rate had consistently dropped by about 8 percent and then in 2021, the rate declined just 2 percent.
After three decades of declines in teen pregnancies, data shows the rates are starting to plateau. The reversal of "Roe v. Wade," coupled with efforts to suspend sex education in schools and higher rates of youth mental health issues post-pandemic, could culminate in a perfect storm.