Summary: Abstinence Accounts for 67% Decrease in Teen Pregnancies During the 1990's

Various studies over the years have used different research methods to identify the cause of the decline in teen pregnancy rates. When properly implemented, abstinence education is the best method for reducing teen pregnancy.

• In a study published in the Journal of Adolescent & Family Health, researchers looked at different factors that have helped to cause the decline in the non-marital birth and pregnancy rates for teens. Since 1991, studies have shown that teen pregnancy and birth rates have been steadily declining. Researchers have examined various possible causes of this decline (i.e. an increased use of contraception, a decrease in sexual activity, increasing numbers of teens remaining abstinent, etc.). The researchers of this particular study looked specifically at differences in teen pregnancy and birth rates among single and married teens. They concluded that the higher proportion of teen females abstaining from sex accounted for most of the reduction in single teen births and 67% of the decrease in single teen pregnancies from 1991-1995.¹

¹An Analysis of the Causes of the Decline in Non-Marital Birth and Pregnancy Rates for Teens from 1991-1995, Adolescent & Family Health, Vol. 3, No. 1, March 2003, pp. 1-6.