New federal data released Thursday says the birthrate for teens in 2011 was at a record low, according to USA Today. This marks another year in which the teen birthrate has dropped.
The 2011 rate—31.3 births per 1,000 women ages 15-19 years old—is approximately 50 percent lower than the record high which took place in 1991—61.8 births per 1,000 teenage women. (This information comes from the National Center for Health Statistics.)
Since the early 1990s, the teen birthrate has continued on a steady decline, apart from hiccups in 2006 and 2007. According to the report, there has been a 25 percent drop since 2007.
From 2007 to 2011, 48 states saw declines in teen birthrate of at 15 percent. North Dakota and West Virginia were the two that did not. Seven states saw drops of at least 30 percent, with Arizona and Utah both experiencing declines of 35 percent.
In those four years, the three of the largest groups with the United States population also saw declines in teen birth rates. The rate for Hispanics was 34 percent. The rate for African-American dropped 24 percent and Caucasians saw a 20 percent decline.
The report comes out at a time when the teen usage of contraception is a controversial topic. U.S. District Judge Edward Korman in Brooklyn, NY ordered on April 5 the Food and Drug Administration to allow girls of all ages to buy the levonorgestrel-based emergency contraception—also known as the “morning after pill” and “Plan B.” The FDA filed an appeal on May 13 with the requesting a stay of Korman’s ruling.
