Delivering good news: the U.S. teen birth rate has fallen by more than half over the past two decades, but it's still higher than desirable.

• Author: Comlossy, Megan
• Position: TEEN PREGNANCY

It's the greatest success story never told," says Sarah Brown, CEO of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Nationally, teen birth rates have fallen 52 percent since 1991. Plummeting rates span all 50 states, and all racial and ethnic groups.

Yet, 49 percent of Americans still believe--incorrectly-that the rate is increasing, perhaps because teen pregnancy continues to be a stubborn problem. Although rates fell in all but two states in 2011, the following year they remained essentially unchanged in 21 states.

In fact, teenage pregnancy rates are higher in our country than in any other industrialized nation. More than 29 out of every 1,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 give birth in the United States--compared to 25 per 1,000 in the United Kingdom, 15 in Australia and in Canada, less than 10 in Germany and fewer than five in Japan.

Three in 10 American girls will get pregnant before their 20th birthday. In 2012, more than 305,400 teens gave birth. Disparities persist among racial and ethnic groups, across geographic regions, rural and urban areas, and age groups. And taxpayers bear a significant share of the costs.

"Nationwide, we've seen significant declines, but we can't let that lead us into a false sense of security," says West Virginia Delegate Don Perdue (D), whose state was one of only two that saw a slight uptick in teen births between 2007 and 2011--a time during which the national teen birth rate fell 25 percent.

"This is not a problem that will ever be entirely resolved. It's one that we have to deal with on a continuing basis. To sustain the results we've seen across the nation--to ensure a healthier generation of children--we have to continue the successful efforts we've undertaken so far," he says.

The Consequences

Teen pregnancy and childbearing affect the education, income, well-being and health of both the parents and their children.

Only half of teen morns earn a high school diploma by the time they reach age 22, compared to nearly 90 percent of women who do not give birth as teens. Also, less than 2 percent of teen morns earn a college degree by age 30. "Today's economy requires more education than ever," says Mississippi Senator Sally Doty (R). "Most jobs require something past high school--whether a four-year degree or some skills training. It's important that teens finish high school at the very least."

And it's not only teen mothers whose futures are affected. Teen fathers face similar disadvantages. Although research on how teen parenthood affects young men is more limited, studies show that young fathers often have lower levels of educational achievement as well.

The future for the children of young parents isn't too promising either. Compared to mothers in their 20s, teen...