Decline in the Teen Baby Boom

The baby boom among teenage mothers, a public health challenge of large proportions, is diminishing in California. The state’s dramatic 9% drop in teen pregnancies last year--double the national average and the largest decline since 1972--should ease the pressure on families and provide relief for taxpayers.

The consequences of teen parenthood are costly. Babies born to unwed teenagers are more likely to grow up poor, drop out of school, go to prison or end up on welfare.

Why fewer girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are having babies is not known with certainty, but experts cite numerous likely causes, including the fear of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, the greater availability and use of condoms and more programs that emphasize abstinence. Sacramento spent $81 million last year on Gov. Pete Wilson’s family planning program, which gave increased access to teenagers. Something is working.

A new federal welfare law requires teen mothers who receive public aid to live with a parent or another responsible adult. This protects both babies and vulnerable teenage girls who are often sexually preyed on by older men.

The best teen pregnancy prevention begins with parents who teach their sons and daughters responsible behavior and help them develop a strong belief in their future. Confident, optimistic youngsters are more likely to get the message and delay parenthood.

But many teenagers do not listen to their parents. Instead they get their cultural lessons from television, which tends to glamorize premarital sex, portraying it without consequences. At least one program, “Beverly Hills 90210,” deserves credit; it featured a popular character, a college senior, who chose abstinence. When she ultimately made the decision to become sexually active, she insisted on a condom. That sent viewers a responsible message.