Often, teen pregnancy is a cycle repeated over and over. And it isn't a new problem, Tuthill said. In the 1940s, teens got pregnant, but most of them ended up marrying their partners. Kids' economic backgrounds may help explain who has babies, and who doesn't. Indeed, close to a third of California's babies are born to mothers without high school diplomas, according to a study released earlier this year by the research firm Child Trends and Kids Count, which conducts an annual survey of child well-being.
Help is available.
The state offers welfare and Medi-Cal to cover young moms' expenses. In schools, the big push from the sex ed curriculum is for teens to remain abstinent, though parenting skills are also taught. Nonprofit organizations provide free supplies, transportation, counseling and services like pregnancy tests. It remains to be seen whether this will be enough. Some attribute the recent drop in pregnancy rates to welfare reform, which holds mothers more accountable for their actions.