“Births to 10–14 Year-Old Mothers, 1990–2002: Trends and Health Outcomes” is available online from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ()
U.S. teenagers may be showing greater sexual responsibility. A report released this month by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the birthrate among the nation’s youngest teenage mothers—girls ages 10 to 14—has dropped dramatically since the early 1990s.
The Atlanta-based CDC found that the number of births among that age group fell by 38 percent, from 12,901 in 1994 to 7,315 in 2002—the lowest level since 1946. That drop occurred despite a 16 percent increase in the 10- to 14-year-old female population, the report points out.
