CURRENT CONDITIONS

Among the states, South Carolina ranks 11th-highest for our overall rate of births among girls 15-19. AT 52 births per 1,000 girls f15-29, our state's teen birth rate is 11 points higher than the national average, based on 2004 reporting. ^[1]

In report after report, South Carolina does not fare well when it comes to protecting the health of our young people and preventing unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. It's time for our state to do better, for everyone's future.

Roughly 7,500 girls ages 10-19 give birth in South Carolina each year, including 150 or so who are 14 or younger. Additionally, about 2,000-2,500 young females 10-19 become pregnant each year but have abortions. Twenty percent of pregnancies in girls 19 and younger end in abortion. ^[2]


1: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation,
    State Health Facts, 2007.
2: Ibid