A new study by the Guttmacher Institute reports that teen pregnancy rates have reached a 40-year low. This is exciting and welcoming news but we shouldn't cheer too loudly. Still, teen pregnancy costs Georgia taxpayers more than $465 million annually and intersects with every social issue that burdens our state such as poverty, high school dropout rates, healthcare, unemployment, and fragile families.
 

...from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Teen pregnancy rate has reached a 40-year low, a new study finds
 

The U.S. teen pregnancy rate has reached a 40-year low, a new study finds. The study, by the Guttmacher Institute, found that the pregnancy rate declined 42 percent from its peak in 1990, according to the study released Wednesday. The teen pregnancy rate in 2008 was 68 per 1,000 girls age 15-19, down from 117 per 1,000 in 1990. That means about 7 percent of girls in that age group became pregnant that year. In addition, the survey showed the birthrate declined 35 percent between 1991 and 2008, from 61.8 to 40.2 births per 1,000 teens.
 

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