View A drop in the number of births to teen-age mothers nationally is good news, but more education must be done on the local level. In Hall County, the percentage of all births attributed to teen-age mothers increased from 1997 to 1998, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Teen births grew from 13.9 percent to 15 percent of all births. Both figures were higher than the statewide average, which increased from 10.5 percent to 10.6 percent over the same period. While it would be improper to imply that it's wrong or immoral to be a mother at age 19 or younger, it's clear that teen-age parents often have a bigger challenge.
Teens typically lack the physical or emotional maturity of twenty-somethings or older.
Teen mothers are more likely to be unmarried. Teen parents, married or not, are more often struggling financially. Fortunately, the national statistics reflect a long-standing trend toward lower teen birth rates. It may be because of education. It may reflect fear of AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases.