Teen pregnancy rate reduced

Monday, Jan. 14, 2002 | 10:04 a.m.

The state Health Division says there's been a significant improvement in teen pregnancy rates in Nevada.

The agency said Nevada had the fourth highest rate in the nation in 1999. But in 2000 Nevada ranked 10th highest nationwide.

There were 43.2 teen pregnancies per 1,000 girls ages 15-17 years old in 2000. That was down from the 48 pregnancies per 1,000 girls in 1999.

State Health Administrator Yvonne Sylva said Thursday she was pleased with the reduction.

"We're reaping the rewards of our aggressive efforts to increase public awareness and educate teens in Nevada," Sylva said.

The Nevada Public Health Foundation, a nonprofit educational organization, also praised the drop in pregnancies but added that there is still significant work to be done.

"The message is getting through, but we're still the 10th highest in the nation," said Lynn Carrigan, administrator for the foundation.

Schools need to provide more frank talk about teen pregnancy and how to prevent it, Carrigan said.

"We recognize that abstinence is the best method of birth control, but we also recognize that not all teenagers are abstinent," Carrigan said. "For those teenagers, schools need to take a more realistic approach."

The chances that a teen who has already given birth will have another child are one in four, Carrigan said.

"It's a cycle that has to be stopped before it starts," Carrigan said.

Another aspect of the problem is that more than 66 percent of teen mothers have children fathered by adult males, Carrigan said. In many communities dating between young teen girls and older men isn't unusual, Carrigan said.

Since 1996, the federal government has required states to educate welfare recipients about statuatory rape laws, Carrigan said. The welfare reform was a direct response to high teen pregnancy rates, Carrigan said.