California Sees Declining Birth Rates In Youth Between Ages 15-19

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The California Department of Public Health (CDHP) announced Thursday that the adolescent birth rate for females between the ages of 15 and 19 has reached record low numbers.

The CDHP said a new state report shows a rate of 13.9 births per 1,000 females between the aforementioned ages. The numbers reflect an 11.5 percent decline between 2016 and 2017, officials say.

"California's commitment to ensuring access to reproductive health care services and sexual health education is helping teens make safe and healthy choices about pregnancy prevention," said Acting State Public Health Officer Dr. Charity Dean.

The department says that despite these declining birth rates, racial disparities persist in adolescent childbearing, with Hispanic and African-American adolescents being three to four times as likely to give birth as white youth.