A legislative report says New Mexico has no clear strategy on how to keep decreasing the number of teens giving birth, a rate that is the second-highest nationwide.
A Legislative Finance Committee report released this week says inconsistent implementation of comprehensive standards for sex education may be a contributing factor.
Public schools are required to instruct students on various ways to prevent pregnancy but not all of them do.
The report says New Mexico taxpayers spend $75 million a year on babies born from teens.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, however, says the number of babies in New Mexico dropped in 2013 by 35 percent when compared to 1988, when the rate was at its peak.
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Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com
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