Black Teen Pregnancy Rate Drops, But America, in General, Sees Slight Rise in Baby-Daddyism

“The teen birth rate in the United States fell to its lowest level ever in 2005, according to the latest birth statistics for the nation, released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”

“The report, “Births: Preliminary Data for 2005,” includes figures from over 99 percent of birth certificates filed in the U.S. and reveals that between 2004 and 2005, the birth rate for teenagers aged 15-19 fell 2 percent, to 40.4 births per 1,000 — a 35 percent decrease from the peak of 61.8 births per 1,000 in 1991.”

“The decline in teen childbearing was especially pronounced for non- Hispanic black teens ages 15-17 — the birth rate for this group fell 6 percent in 2005 compared to 2004 and 59 percent since 1991. In total, there were 421,123 births to females under age 20 in 2005.”

“There was another increase in unmarried childbearing in 2005. The number of births to unmarried mothers of all ages rose 4 percent from 1.47 million in 2004 to 1.52 million in 2005; while the rate increased to 47.6 births per 1,000 unmarried females aged 15-44 in 2005, up from 46.1 in 2004. The percentage of births to unmarried mothers also increased in 2005, from 35.8 to 36.8 percent.“

TheStateOf . . . Births in the U.S. I (J) am pleased to hear that teen pregnancy is dropping in black communities, but I wonder why that is so? And, unfortunately, as the family breaks down, the calamity of out-of-wedlock birth that is killing black America is spreading nationwide.