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Texas Teen Childbearing Costs Taxpayers $1.2 Billion Annually
Teen childbearing in Texas cost taxpayers at least $1.2 billion in 2008, according to an updated analysis from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Of these costs, 57% were federal costs and 43% were state and local costs. For the nation overall, teen childbearing costs taxpayers $10.9 billion.
Most of the public sector costs of teen childbearing are associated with negative consequences for the children of teen mothers, during both their childhood and their young adult years. Annual taxpayer costs associated with children born to teen mothers include public health care (Medicaid and CHIP), child welfare, and, among those children who have reached adolescence and young adulthood, increased rates of incarceration, and lost tax revenue due to decreased earnings and spending.
Texas' teen birth rate declined 20% between 1991 and 2008. This is progress, but not nearly as rapid as that of California, with its 49% decline in teen birth rate during the same period. California has demographics and budget challenges that are similar to our state's, but they have cut their rates by more than twice what happened in Texas.
Why is Texas's progress so much slower than California's? California has made concerted efforts to use evidence-based strategies, including Abstinence-Plus education and assuring that sexually active teens have access to contraception.
$1.2 billion a year is a large pricetag -- and this is a very conservative estimate of the costs of teen childbearing. With more use of evidence-based prevention, Texas can significantly lower these costs in the future. In fact, teen pregnancy is deemed one of 10 public health "Winnable Battles" by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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