With the heartbreaking photo of a Syrian child rescued from a bombed house making its way around the internet -- as well as our nonstop election circus -- it's time for some good news for a change.
The CDC reports that pregnancy in teens aged 15-19 has fallen by 46% from 2007 to 2015.
The CDC did not discuss the specific reasons for this decline. However, there are probably three major contributors:
First, it is known that teens are having less sex.
Second, use of the "morning-after pill" has skyrocketed from 8% in 2002 to 22% in 2013.
Third, there is a high rate of abortion among African-American teens.
The latter two reasons for the decline in teen pregnancy may be upsetting for some people, but the fact that teen pregnancy (which is linked to all sorts of societal problems) has nearly halved is reason for optimism.
Source: CDC
Source: Brady E. Hamilton. "QuickStats: Birth Rates Among Teens Aged 15–19 Years, by Race/Hispanic Ethnicity — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2007 and 2015." MMWR 65 (32): 832. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6532a6.
Alex Berezow, PhD
Former Vice President of Scientific Communications
Dr. Alex Berezow is a PhD microbiologist, science writer, and public speaker who specializes in the debunking of junk science for the American Council on Science and Health. He is also a member of the USA Today Board of Contributors and a featured speaker for The Insight Bureau. Formerly, he was the founding editor of RealClearScience.
