US teen birth rate at all-time low, economy cited

Thanks to Chuck Knutson for this article.
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The U.S. teen birth rate in 2009 fell to its lowest point in almost 70 years of record-keeping – a decline that stunned experts who believe it’s partly due to the recession.

The birth rate for teenagers fell to 39 births per 1,000 girls, ages 15 through 19, according to a government report released Tuesday. It was a 6 percent decline from the previous year, and the lowest since health officials started tracking the rate in 1940.

Experts say the recent recession – from December 2007 to June 2009 – was a major factor driving down births overall, and there’s good reason to think it affected would-be teen mothers.

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http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/general/view/20101221us_teen_birth_rate_at_all-time_low_economy_cited/