Way To Go George!!!

Teen Pregnancy Rate Hits 15-Year High

The teen pregnancy rate is up for the first time since 1991, while the percentage of teens who smoke has hit a 10-year low, according to a report released Friday by the National Institutes of Health.

Between 2005 and 2006, the number of teenage girls between the ages 15 to 17 having babies rose by more than 5,700 to 138,920, from a record low of 133,138, according to an annual report on the health and well-being of children and teens published by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.

The 4 percent increase in the teen pregnancy rate is cause for concern among health professionals.

“This is one of the key indicators for the health of the teen population,” said Edward Sondik, director of the National Center for Health Statistics, during a conference call with the media. “Not only does this affect teen health at this point, but their health and well-being for the next 20 to 40 years, and the health and well-being of their children.”

Seems all that money spent on those abstinence only programs is working out well.