Why should you care?
The United States spends 40 billion dollars a year in an attempt to reduce teenage pregnancies.
Teen childbearing in
Virginia cost taxpayers at least $177 million in 2004. In fact, 45% of first births in the U.S. are to women who are teenagers,
unmarried or are lacking a high school degree. Teen mothers are less likely to complete high school and more likely to be a
single parent. Only 1.5% of these women will earn a college degree by age 30. In addition, teen mothers have serious health
risks associated with pregnancy including: higher maternal death rate, lower infant birth weight, insuffi cient health care, high
rates of child abuse and neglect, and poor school performance.
The 15-17 teen pregnancy rate per 1,000 females in the City of Harrisonburg is 45.7, almost double Virginia’s rate of 25.2.