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Calif. Teen Birth Rate Falls to Lowest Level on Record

Monday, May 11, 2009

By Kenny Goldberg

Audio

Calif. Teen Birth Rate Falls to Lowest Level on Record

Aired 5/11/09

California's teen birth rate has fallen to the lowest level on record. State health officials say there's been a big decline in teen births since 1991.

SAN DIEGO — California's teen birth rate has fallen to the lowest level on record. State health officials say there's been a big decline in teen births since 1991. KPBS Reporter Kenny Goldberg has more.

The latest numbers are from 2007. There were 37.1 teen births for every 1,000 females in California. State officials say there's been a 48 percent drop in the teen birth rate since 1991. Vince Hall is with the San Diego County chapter of Planned Parenthood. He says the decline is impressive. But Hall believes there's still a long way to go.

"When you compare California and the United States to other western industrialized nations, particularly in Europe, our teen birth rate, our teen pregnancy rate, is still the highest, and that is unacceptable," says Hall.

All told in 2007, California teens gave birth to more than 53,000 babies.

Kenny Goldberg, KPBS News.

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