In a Testament to Sex Education, The Number of Teenage Mothers Has Plummeted in Oregon

New figures show the rate of babies born to teenage mothers is half what it was in 2007.

Babies lay in a circle during a group prenatal class at Freedom Park on Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., April 22, 2017. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Nathaniel Byrnes)
By Nigel Jaquiss

Oregon teenage mothers gave birth to 2,004 babies in 2016, according to new figures released this week by Children First for Oregon and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The new figures show teenage births in Oregon have plummeted in the past decade. The number of babies born to teenage moms is less than half the 4,343 counted in 2007. The rate per 1,000 is now 17, down from 35 in 2007.

The Trump administration has attempted to shift federal policies away from sex education to abstinence-based programs, which critics say are unproven and ineffective. Oregon and 12 other states require medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education, which this week's study shows has been effective here.

"Oregon's historic decline in the teen birth rate is great news for our state and shows the positive effects of increased access to health care coverage and health education," says Tonia Hunt, executive director of Children First for Oregon." It's important that we continue to ensure that young people have access to health care as well as the information they need to take care of their health."

Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation

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