Teen Pregnancy, the Rates Are Lowering

One would think by the number of teen mothers you see these days that the teen pregnancy rate is on the rise, well that's not true. Numbers show that from 1996 to 2006 the pregnancy rates among 15-20 year olds have dropped by about 30%. This can be attributed to a number of factors such as abstinence, prescribing of birth control medicines, higher risk of STDs, and education programs.

Even though some people say that sexual education programs actually lead to more and earlier sexual activity, they are actually the biggest reason for the drop in the teenage pregnancy rate. The education programs are initiated in school and in the community teach teenagers the health, social, and economical risks associated with early pregnancy. Some of the programs hand out condoms to males and prescribe birth control medicines to females in hopes at least preventing pregnancy and reducing