Inviting Statistics of Teenage Mothers

Facts at a Glance:

  • About 1 million teenage girls in the U.S. (which is about 10% of the girls age 15-19) become pregnant each year.
  • It is estimated that approximately 1/3 of pregnant teens have abortions, 14% have miscarriages, and 52% give birth.
  • About 72% of teens who give birth are not married.
  • About 75% of teens who give birth are first-time mothers.
  • Over 175,000 of the teens who give birth each year are under the age of 18.
  • Eighty percent of young teenage moms end up in poverty and on welfare.
  • The sons of young teenage moms are 2.7 times more likely to end up in prison than sons born to girls who did not bear children until they were at least 20.
  • If teenage girls would delay childbearing until the age of 20.5, the incarceration rate across the U.S would decrease by 3.5%. This would amount to a long-range savings of one billion dollars in correctional costs and three billion dollars in law enforcement costs.
  • If teenage girls delayed childbearing until after the age of 21, the rate and costs would be reduced even further. In addition, if less of these young men are incarcerated, then they are able to better contribute to the support of their own children.
  • A study in Illinois found that children of teenage mothers are twice as likely to be abused and neglected than are children of 20 or 21 year old mothers. It is estimated that as many as 5% of foster-care placements would not be needed if teenage childbearing were eliminated.

http://www.urbanministry.org/wiki/teen-pregnancy-and-births
Picture