20 good things that happened in 2017

6. The U.S. teen pregnancy rate is still falling

In the United States, the number of pregnant teens has fallen to a historic low. According to a report published during the summer, the number of teen pregnancies in 2016 fell 9% compared to the previous year. Researchers expect to see this trend continue into 2017.

A pregnancy is life changing for anyone, but especially so for teens. An expectant teen can anticipate serious challenges when it comes to continuing education, obtaining good childcare and finding economic security.

In fact, the situation can get pretty dire. Teen pregnancy and childbirth made for $9.4 billion in costs in 2010, thanks to the increased need for healthcare and foster care for children. Teen parents are also far less likely to get their high school diploma than their non-pregnant peers.

Furthermore, the children of teen parents are more likely to experience incarceration, lower educational attainment, and serious health problems than other kids. The initial boosts available to children of older parents, like financial stability and greater parental maturity, are not available to these children.

As it turns out, the societal and structural issues associated with teenage parents have significant repercussions for generations to come. That’s why it’s seriously good news to hear that the teen pregnancy rate is so low. With unintended teenage pregnancies on the way out, more and more people will get a chance to have a better and more stable start in life.

It’s still unclear what, exactly, is causing such a large drop in numbers. Nevertheless, researchers have some pretty good guesses. They believe that better information about contraception is helping to prevent pregnancy amongst sexually active teens.