Is teen pregnancy really such a problem?
A. Yes; the rate of teenage pregnancy is growing; despite the recent decline in the teen birth rate, teen pregnancy remains a significant problem in this country. Most teen pregnancies are unintended. Each year, about 200,000 teens aged 17 and younger have children. Their babies are often low birth weight and have disproportionately high infant mortality rates. They are also far more likely to be poor. About 80 percent of the children born to unmarried teenagers who dropped out of high school are poor. In contrast, just 8 percent of children born to married high school graduates aged 20 or older are poor.
