State’s teen pregnancy rate rises

There was no reason for celebration among those with the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in Columbia after a report from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) revealed the state’s teen pregnancy rate had again increased.

According to the state health agency, the overall rate of teen pregnancies in the Palmetto State increased 2 percent between 2006 and 2007. Following 14 years of declining rates, the number of pregnancies in the age group of 10-19 has increased 10 percent since 2004, the year the current streak began.

According to the DHEC report, much of the increase is due to the rising number of 18- and 19-year-olds becoming pregnant. Those in the age bracket accounted for twothirds of all teen pregnancies in the state.

S.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Executive Director Forrest Alton was able to find a silver lining in the light of the troubling report.

“Anytime teen pregnancy rates increase is certainly cause for concern,” Alton said. “This year is no different, although a closer look at the teen pregnancy data from 2007 does leave some room for optimism. For the past decade-plus our state has made a significant investment towards the prevention of pregnancy among school-aged youth, those 17 and younger.”

Rates for teens between the ages 15-17 are the lowest they have ever been, according to Alton, with 36.5 pregnancies for every 1,000 youths. Older youths, specifically those 18 and 19 years of age, are no longer waiting to make the leap into parenthood, with those rates now up to 115 pregnancies for every 1,000 teens statewide.

“Rates of teen pregnancy among older youth have increased dramatically over the last several years,” Alton said. “Little to no attention is being paid to this population or their increased rates of teen pregnancy.”

According to statistics obtained from DHEC, Cherokee County was fourth among the state’s 46 counties in teen pregnancies, with 52.1 pregnancies for every 1,000 youths. Particularly troubling was the number of 18- and 19-yearolds becoming pregnant locally, the rate of 167.1 for every 1,000 teens is one of the highest in South Carolina.

A new commitment must be made to older youths to prevent the increase of pregnancy rates among that portion of the population, Alton commented.

“Success reducing teen pregnancy rates requires a sustained investment in programs and approaches that have been shown to be effective,” Alton said. “As a state we must recommit ourselves to the teens of South Carolina, both young and old, and continue to invest in them our time and resources in order to reverse recent negative trends in teen pregnancy rates.”