The Wyoming Department of Health released a study in June of this year that showed that Wyoming’s teen birth rates had dropped for the sixth consecutive year. Wyoming experienced a growth of 16 percent in teen birth rates from 2004 to 2007, where it hit its peak at 50.1 babies born for every 1,000 girls age 15-19.
The recent study shows that the teen birth rates have dropped to 34.6 for every 1,000 girls age 15-19. There are many people that would attribute this drop to an increase in education. “I have read that the decrease in birthrate is related to an increased use of contraception,” Joanne Steane, director of the student health service at UW, said.
Steane went on to say that this could be a result of an increase in educational programs that teach teenagers about how to practice protected sex and abstinence. Steane said that throughout Wyoming, there has been increased emphasis placed on sex education. However, contraception has played a big role in the drop as well. Young adults have become more comfortable with talking to professionals about sexual activity and receiving different forms of contraception.
“There haven’t really been any changes in availability without a prescription, mostly everything requires a visit to a facility,” Steane said.
Teenagers feeling more comfortable with going into a clinic and receiving contraception may have contributed to the drop in teen birth rates.
Richelle Keinath, executive director of the Laramie Reproductive Health Service, said, “We create an environment where men and women are confident to come here [Laramie Reproductive Health] for their reproductive healthcare needs.”
Unfortunately, the problem has not gone away entirely.
“There are still a lot of teen births, the issue is still there and it is just fortunate that the numbers are decreasing,” Steane said.
But is teen pregnancy that much of a problem?
In the Wyoming Department of Health’s study showing the teenage birth rate’s drop, it describes the impact that teen births could have on the mothers. The list states that 50 percent of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by age 22, less than two percent receive a bachelor’s degree by age 30 and teen moms are more likely to have postpartum depression.
However some teen mothers are fine with their situation.
An anonymous 17-year-old pregnant female said she has no intention of giving up her ambitions because of her pregnancy. She plans to keep the child and is slated to graduate with her high school class in 2015 before moving on to Laramie County Community College.
