Indicator: 16 - Youth Pregnancy

Why This Is Important

Teen pregnancy places both the young mother and her child at risk for a variety of medical, social, and economic problems. Teen parents typically complete less education, earn less money, and are more likely to be single parents. The overwhelming majority of teens in the United States do not want to become parents as teens.

Where We Stand

Maine saw the sharpest decline in the nation in teen pregnancy rates during the first half of the 1990s. In 1999, the pregnancy rate (per 1,000) for females ages 10-14 was 0.6, for females 15-17 was 22.2 and for females 18-19 was 75.4. Comparable national data is not available due to the inconsistency of reporting across states. According to the Maine Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, 76.8% of pregnancies of Maine women 20 years of age or younger were unintended in 1999.

Data Sources and Context

The data source for this indicator is the Maine Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, Office of Data, Research and Vital Statistics, Bureau of Health, Maine Department of Human Services.