High rates of teen pregnancy burden us all: teenagers, their
children, and society at large. When adolescent girls
give birth, their
future prospects decline. Compared to young women who delay their first
birth until ages 20 or older, teen mothers complete less school, are
more likely to have large families, and are more likely to be single
parents. The children born to teens bear the brunt of their mother''''s
young age: when compared to children born to women aged 20 and older,
babies born to mothers aged 15-17 have less supportive and stimulating
home environments, poorer health, lower cognitive development, worse
educational outcomes, higher
rates of behavior problems, and higher
rates of teen childbearing themselves. There is also considerable cost
to the
taxpayers and society more generally. After adjusting for other
factors related to teen parenthood, the estimated annual cost to
taxpayers of births to young women aged 15-17 years is at least $6.9
billion in lost tax revenues and increased spending on public
assistance, health care for the children, foster care, and the criminal
justice system. watch out for more on this