Teen Birth Rates For These 2 Groups Are Down — But There’s a Catch

Here’s what sex education has to do with it.

April 29, 2016

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Birth rates are down significantly among Latina and black teens since 2006, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

Teen birth rates have been on the decline, reaching new historic lows in recent years, plummeting more than 40% in the past 10 years, according to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The new CDC report shows birth rates are down 51% among Latina teens, and 44% among black teens.

However, Planned Parenthood points out that there are some states where birth rates among Latina and black teens are three times as high as those of white teens. Regardless of rates, the communities with the highest teen birth rates are those with higher unemployment rates and lower income and education.

“We’re seeing historic lows in pregnancy and birth rates among U.S. teens, and this report shows yet again that we’re moving in the right direction,” Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, MD, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement. “It’s concerning, however, to still see stark disparities among teens of different ethnicities and in certain geographic areas.”

There are still counties that have higher rates than the rest of the state they are in, many in southern or southwestern states. That, Dr. Raegan said, could be because of a lack of sex ed.

“Some areas of the country, especially the south, are less likely to provide sex education that includes information on contraception — and we’re seeing politicians across the southern states attempting to block access to reproductive health care, including birth control and abortion,” Dr. McDonald-Mosley said. “These policies have real consequences for all people, and often have a disproportionate impact on communities of color, who already face systemic barriers in accessing quality health care.”

These barriers to health care access contribute to the persisting birth rates, according to Planned Parenthood, but also have a wider impact. Not being able to get care, the organization notes, also contributes to rates of sexually transmitted infections like HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhea, all of which disproportionately affect people in the south.

In order to get birth rates down and health care up across the country, Dr. McDonald-Mosley said everyone needs access to good sexual health education. It seems obvious, but current laws and statistics show it needs to be said: “Access to quality health care and accurate information is a fundamental right for all people and shouldn’t depend on who you are or where you live,” Dr. McDonald-Mosley said in the statement. “We need to work to make access to sexual and reproductive health care and education easier for everyone—rather than increasing barriers that make access more difficult.”