has an impact not just on individual teens and their children but also on the American public in general. For instance, the financial repercussions are felt by every American who pays taxes. Collectively, American taxpayers spend $40 billion a year to support families started by teenage mothers. According to a 1999 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the cost of teenage childbearing to taxpayers during the five-year period between 1985 and 1990 was $120 billion. If these teens had delayed their pregnancies at least until they reached the age of twenty, the CDC maintains, the total expenditure could have been reduced by $48 billion.

The financial repercussions of teenage pregnancy and the dire outlook for the future of teen parents and their children have led many experts and concerned citizens to search for a way to reduce America's high teen pregnancy rates. There is general agreement among most Americans that the key to reducing and preventing teen pregnancies is to change teens' sexual behaviors. Until such a change is effected, little progress can be made in substantially reducing---let alone virtually eliminating---the problem of teen pregnancy. Americans do not agree, however, on the most effective way to go about altering teen sexual behaviors. For example, while many groups and individuals emphasize the importance of sex education in reducing the rate of teen pregnancy, they have differing opinions about exactly what should be taught.

While the various educational strategies to prevent and reduce teen pregnancy have not met with total success, the rate of teenage pregnancy in the United States has in fact been on the decline since the early 1990s. The decline in the teen pregnancy rate has been across all racial and ethnic groups, but the greatest decrease has been among African American teens, who in the past have had the highest birthrates. According to government figures, in 1999 the birthrate for unmarried African American women fell lower than in any year since 1969. More recently, the highest birthrates have occurred among Hispanic teens.

Experts attribute the overall decline in the rate of teenage pregnancy in the United States to various factors. Among these are a decrease in sexual activity and an increase in the use of birth control. Economic factors may also play a role. Some commentators maintain that the resurgent economy has contributed by providing poor teenage girls with more feasible options for their future

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