Washington saw its lowest teen pregnancy rate in more than two decades

Washington saw its lowest teen pregnancy rate in more than two decades, according to a Department of Health report, Pregnancy and Induced Abortions Statistics, 2003. That year, the number of pregnancies per 1,000 women ages 15 to 19 was 53.2 - the lowest rate seen since 1980 when reporting first began and the teen pregnancy rate was 95.4.

"This is good news," said the report's author, Phyllis Reed. "A variety of factors contribute to the declining trend seen in teen pregnancies since it peaked in 1989 at 96 births per 1,000 women in that age group." Sharon McAllister, Director of Family Planning, agrees, "Increased availability and acceptability of contraceptives, safe sex practices and abstinence likely play a role."

The 2003 pregnancy rate for all women of childbearing age, 15 to 44, is slightly higher than in 2002, but still consistent with an overall declining trend since 1990 when the rate reached its highest point at 96.0.

Abortion rates are also at a new low, according to the report. For all women of childbearing age the 2003 rate was 19.3; for teens it was 21.5.

"The teenage abortion rate in 2003 is less than half the rate in 1980," Reed noted, "and the rate among all women is nearly 40 percent lower in 2003 than it had been when it peaked in 1989."

The Department of Health's Center for Health Statistics collects and reports on pregnancy and abortion statistics to understand and quantify the effectiveness of programs such as abstinence education, family planning and teenage counseling.