Teen births have dropped to a record low. Teen births have dropped to a record low. A report Tuesday from the National Center for Health Statistics also found a surprising decline in multiple births of three or more and an increase in the number of women having Caesarean sections. The study said the birth rate for mothers 15 to 19 declined 3 percent to 49.6 births per 1,000 women in 1999 from the previous year. This rate has fallen 20 percent since 1991 and is now at a record low.
Every state has a teen pregnancy prevention program.
The message has been transmitted. The 1999 rate broke a record of 50.2 births per 1,000 teen-age women set in 1986. The records go back to 1940. Ventura also noted that the teen birth rate has been declining during a period when the economy was strong. That may have encouraged youngsters to avoid pregnancy in order to pursue education and jobs, she commented.