[Clipped from: MSNBC STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS, Thursday, April 29, 1999; emphasis added. –MV]

Teen pregnancy dropped nearly 17 percent in the 1990s to the lowest level since 1973, and teen abortion rates were down as well, two new reports show. Experts point to a variety of reasons, including more reliable contraception, fear of AIDS, a new focus on abstinence and even the strong economy. Most of the decline in pregnancy is due to increased use of birth control.

• JACQUELINE E. DARROCH, Alan Guttmacher Institute

The first report, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, showed that births to teen-agers fell 4 percent in 1997, helping to push the national birth rate for all women to a record low.

And the other, from the Alan Guttmacher Institute, finds teen pregnancy dropped 4 percent in 1996 and fell 17 percent from its peak in 1990.

The HHS report also found a continued decline in out-of -wedlock births, record high levels of women getting early prenatal care and the lowest rate ever reported of smoking by pregnant women.

The birth rate for unmarried women in 1997 was 44 births per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15-44 years, 2 percent lower than in 1996 and 6 percent lower than 1994 when the rate was at its highest.

This sustained national improvement is evidence that innovative programs to reach teenagers with information and support to make responsible choices are working," said Donna E. Shalala, secretary of HHS. "It is also a reminder that most teenagers are making good choices — focusing on their futures and saying no to anything that would jeopardize their dreams."

While celebrating the results, Vice President AL Gore said that the country must be sure not to become complacent. He will announce a new rule that rewards states that have the greatest success in reducing out-of-wedlock births.

Children who are born into homes without two parents are more likely to drop out of school, get involved in crime and drugs, and end up in poverty, Gore noted.

The HHS report, which looks at birth and fertility patterns and key aspects of maternal and infant health based on data from birth certificates, includes the latest data for on low birthweight, prenatal care, unmarried childbearing and teenage birth rates.

Among the highlights:

• Midwives delivered about 7 percent of all babies born in 1997, up from 1 percent in 1975
• The cesarean delivery rate increased slightly to 20.8 percent, after declining throughout the 1990s
• In 1997, 13.2 percent of all women giving birth reported that they smoked during pregnancy. This is the lowest level of tobacco use during pregnancy since 1989. Smoking among pregnant teenagers, however, increased again in 1997, particularly among black and Puerto Rican teenagers; white non-Hispanic teenagers are still the most likely of all women to smoke while pregnant.
• The rate of preterm births increased sharply in 1997 and the proportion of infants born low birthweight reached the highest level in over two decades, 7.5 percent. Researchers attributed this to the remarkable rise in multiple births.

ABORTION REPORT

The Guttmacher statistics, which combine the birth data with statistics on abortion and estimates for miscarriages, showed that about one in three pregnancies were aborted, as the teen abortion rate dropped 3 percent in 1996. It fell 31 percent from 1986.

Most of the decline in pregnancy is due to increased use of birth control, said Jacqueline E. Darroch, a vice president at Guttmacher, a private research group. She noted that 11 percent of 15- to 19-year-olds now use long-acting, highly effective birth control methods such as Depo-Provera shots.

Condom use also increased as fear of AIDS spread in the ’90s. And national surveys point to decreased teen sexual activity as well.

Other explanations are harder to pin down, including an explosion of abstinence and pregnancy prevention programs and a strong economy that may be giving teens more hope for the future.

Also, for the first time, research suggests positive peer pressure may be stronger than the negative pressures parents usually fear.

Hanging out with friends who do well in school and don’t drink or smoke will help a teen avoid pregnancy, researchers found. But, contrary to many parents’ fears, hanging out with kids who engage in these and other risky behaviors doesn’t make much difference, said Brad Brown of the University of Wisconsin, who analyzed a federal survey of teens for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.