The birthrate increased 2 percent among whites and Asians and 1 percentamong blacks, but it decreased 2 percent among Hispanics.
The rate at which teenage girls in the United States are having babieshas risen for a second year in a row, government statistics show,putting one of the nation’s most successful social and public healthcampaigns in jeopardy.
Teen births in the District, Maryland and Virginia mirror thenational trend, the numbers show, and local health experts say they arealarmed by the shift.
Nationally, the birthrate among 15-to-19-year-olds rose 1.4 percentfrom 2006 to 2007, continuing a climb that began a year earlier. Therate jumped 3.4 percent from 2005 to 2006, reversing what had been a14-year decline.
Although researchers will have to wait at least another year to seewhether a clear trend emerges, the two consecutive increases signalthat the long national campaign to reduce teen pregnancies may havestalled or even reversed.
“We’ve now had two years of increases,” said Stephanie J. Ventura ofthe National Center for Health Statistics, which issued the reportyesterday. “We may have reached a tipping point. It’s hard to knowwhere it’s going to go from here.”
The reasons for the increase remain unclear, although expertsspeculated that it could be a result of growing complacency about AIDSand teen pregnancy, among other factors. The rise may also reflect abroader trend that affects all age groups, because birthrates have alsoincreased among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s and older unmarriedwomen.
The increase raised concerns across the ideological spectrum andfueled an intense debate over federal funding for sex-educationprograms that focus on encouraging abstinence until marriage. Opponentsand proponents are girding for a new round in the battle over fundingof abstinence education when President Obama reveals within weekswhether he will seek to continue or cut that funding.
“This is certainly not the time to remove any strategy that is goingto provide skills for teens to avoid sex,” said Valerie Huber of theNational Abstinence Education Association.
But opponents said the findings provide new evidence that theapproach is ineffective and that the money should be shifted toprograms that include educating young people about contraceptives –efforts that have been shown to be highly effective.
“The United States can no longer afford to fund failedabstinence-only programs,” said James Wagoner of the group Advocatesfor Youth.
Abstinence programs had been receiving about $176 million in federalfunding each year, but Congress cut about $14 million from the currentbudget.