What are the "costs" of teen pregnancy?
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey reveals that 9.1 million of the 18.9 million new cases of STDs were reported among young people age 15-24. Due to these statistics, there is an ongoing debate concerning teenage sexual education in the United States and how to make a greater impact on the attitudes, knowledge, and behavior of adolescents and young adults.
In addition to sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancy is an issue more critical than many realize. Approximately 1 in 3 US births are unwanted. If more children in this country were born to parents who are ready and able to care for them, we would see a significant reduction in a variety of social problems in the United States, from school failure and crime to child abuse and neglect. Unplanned pregnancy affects overall child and family well-being.
Additionally, teen pregnancy is potentially harmful for the adolescent mother's phsycial development and health, as well as that of her baby. Children born from unplanned teen pregnancies face a range of developmental risks; an analysis from Child Trends indicates that these children report poorer phsyical and mental health and lower cognitive test scores than children born into two-parent homes as the result of an intended pregnancy.
Between 1991 and 2004, there were approximately 92,000 births to teen mothers in Arkansas alone, which cost taxpayers an estimated $2 billion. Taxpayers' costs of teen childbearing stem from negative consequences for the children of teen mothers. 2004 Arkansas annual taxpayer costs associated with children born to teen mothers included: $22 million for public health care; $10 million for child welfare; $14 million for incarceration; and $41 million in lost tax revenue due to decreased earnings over the children’s career (figures taken from By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing by Saul Hoffman, Ph.D., Professor of Economics and Department Chair at the University of Delaware).
On a final note. . .
Unplanned pregnancies are often "resolved" by abortion -- over one million are performed in the United States each year. Although Americans may differ in their views about abortion, virtually all Americans can see value in lessening the need for abortion and would prefer that fewer women have to make that choice and/or confront an unplanned pregnancy in the first place.
Demonstrating to our nation's youth their level of personal risk, equipping them with the communication skills to stand up to today's pressures and arming them with the facts can prevent many unplanned pregnancies while simultaneously reducing the rate of sexually-transmitted infections.
Read more about the costs of teen pregnancy in articles and links below:
article reprinted from: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
Preventing Unplanned and Teen Pregnancy: Why It Matters
Teen pregnancy is closely linked to a host of other critical social issues — poverty and income, overall child well-being, out-of-wedlock births, responsible fatherhood, health issues, education, child welfare, and other risky behavior. There are also substantial public costs associated with adolescent childbearing. Consequently, teen pregnancy should be viewed not only as a reproductive health issue, but as one that works to improve all of these measures. Simply put, if more children in this country were born to parents who are ready and able to care for them, we would see a significant reduction in a host of social problems afflicting children in the United States, from school failure and crime to child abuse and neglect.
Like teen pregnancy, unplanned pregnancy among young adults is at the root of a number of important public health and social challenges. Unplanned pregnancies are frequently resolved by abortion—1.3 million in the United State in 2001, and although Americans differ a great deal in their views about abortion, virtually all of us see value in lessening the need for abortion and would prefer that fewer women have to confront an unplanned pregnancy in the first place.
In addition, in the most recent year for which good data are available, there were about 567,000 births from pregnancies that women themselves say they did not want at the time of conception or ever in the future. These children are particularly vulnerable. For example, even when taking into account various social and economic factors, women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy are less likely to obtain prenatal care, and their babies are at increased risk of both low birthweight and of being born prematurely. They are also less likely to be breastfed.
Children born from unplanned pregnancies also face a range of developmental risks as well. For example, these children report poorer physical and mental health compared to children born as the result of an intended pregnancy. And a new analysis from Child Trends indicates that, after controlling for numerous background factors, children 2 years old who were born as the result of an unplanned pregnancy have significantly lower cognitive test scores when compared to children born as the result of an intended pregnancy.
In addition, the majority of children from an unplanned pregnancy are born to unmarried women. This is important because children raised in single-parent families face more challenges in a variety of areas than do children raised in two-parent, low-conflict married families. For example, when compared to similar children who grow up with two parents, children in one-parent families are more likely to be poor, drop out of high school, have lower grade-point averages, lower college aspirations, and poorer school attendance records. As adults, they also have higher rates of divorce. Such data suggest that reducing unplanned pregnancy will increase the proportion of children born into circumstances that better support their growth and development.
Press Release Contact: Bill Albert, National Campaign
For release October 30, 2006 202-478-8510, balbert@teenpregnancy.org
Teen Childbearing in Arkansas Costs Taxpayers $112 Million Annually New State and National Data Released
(Washington, DC) — Despite a 24% decline in the state teen birth rate between 1991 and 2004, teen childbearing in Arkansas cost taxpayers (federal, state, and local) at least $112 million in 2004, according to a new analysis released by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Of these costs, 50% were federal costs and 50% were state and local costs. The national public sector costs of teen childbearing total $9.1 billion.
Most of the public sector costs of teen childbearing are associated with negative consequences for the children of teen mothers. In Arkansas in 2004, annual taxpayer costs associated with children born to teen m others included:
$22 million for public health care; $10 million for child welfare; $14 million for incarceration; and $41 million in lost tax revenue due to decreased earnings over the children’s career. There are also costs and savings associated with teen mothers and fathers of their children which are factored into the $112 million total.
The analysis, By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing, is authored by Saul Hoffman, Ph.D., Professor of Economics and Department Chair at the University of Delaware. The new analysis is the first comprehensive national estimate of the public costs of teen childbearing since the 1996 publication of Kids Having Kids, a ground-breaking report edited by Rebecca Maynard, Ph.D. It is also the first-ever analysis of what teen childbearing costs in every state.
Between 1991 and 2004, there have been more than 91,800 teen births in Arkansas, costing taxpayers an estimated $2 billion over that period. The 24% decline in the teen birth rate between 1991 and 2004 in Arkansas has yielded substantial costs savings. The progress Arkansas has made in reducing teen childbearing saved taxpayers an estimated $59 million in 2004 alone.
“This report makes clear that teen pregnancy and child-bearing have significant economic and social costs,” said Sarah Brown, Director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. “Making further progress in reducing teen pregnancy will benefit taxpayers and the economy, as well as improve the educational, health, and social prospects for this generation of young people and the next.”
The analysis provides a cautious estimate of the costs of teen childbearing and reflects only those costs clearly associated with a teen birth rather than other associated risks. Specifically, the analysis compares costs associated with teen mothers (aged 19 and younger), their partners, and their children with the same costs for women who delay childbearing until they are aged 20-21.
For more information: Visit the National Campaign’s By the Numbers website at http://www.teenpregnancy.org for a fact sheet detailing teen childbearing costs in Arkansas and other states and Washington, DC as well as the national By the Numbers report.
Funding: This project was made possible by a generous grant from the William T. Grant Foundation.
About the National Campaign: Founded in 1996, the National Campaign is a private, nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the well-being of children, youth, and families by reducing teen pregnancy. The organization's goal is to reduce the teen pregnancy rate by one-third between 2006 and 2015. |
