© 2024 KRWG
News that Matters.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

New Mexico Teen Births Drop; Still Second Highest In Nation

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico teens are giving birth at significantly lower rates than they did 10 years ago, but the state still ranks No. 2 in the nation for teen pregnancy.

A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report show 5.3 percent of women ages 15-19 in New Mexico gave birth in 2010. That's down significantly from 2000, when a state health department report shows 6.5 percent of females that age having babies.

New Mexico Teen Pregnancy Coalition executive director Sylvia Ruiz says she's thrilled by the drop. She says it means teens are listening and are learning that an early pregnancy can drastically affect their futures.

The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://bit.ly/Hvo1TK ) that the rate for girls age 15-17 was 4.4 percent in 1998, and dropped to 2.6 percent in 2010.

___

Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.