A new report from the Guttmacher Institute reveals that rates of adolescent pregnancy, birth and abortion in the United States reached historic lows in 2013.
The decline among teens specifically is striking: the U.S. pregnancy rate among 15–19-year-olds was at its lowest point in at least 80 years and had dropped to just above one-third of a recent peak rate in 1990.
As the lead author of the report Kathryn Kost noted in a news release, “These new estimates affirm that long-term declines in adolescent pregnancies, births and abortions have continued. The available evidence suggests that improved contraceptive use continues to be the primary driver of these declines.” Indeed, the report discusses recent research showing significant increases in the use of contraceptives in young women, including the use of multiple methods and long-acting reversible contraceptive methods.
Read the full report at Guttmacher.