Teenage birth rates in this country have been declining steadily. While this is good news, teen birth rates in the U.S. remain high, exceeding those in most developed countries. High teen birth rates are an important concern because teen mothers and their babies face increased risks to their health, and their opportunities to build a future are diminished. Not only is teen pregnancy a concern for the young mother and baby, it is also a concern for society as a whole. Teen pregnancy affects society because the United States government spends billions of dollars on welfare programs, which many young mothers end up being on for support. As anyone could see, this is a problem that must be addressed and a social problem that needs continued support in reducing these alarming numbers.
             Chart number 85 of the tables in the Statistical Abstract provides information regarding the births and birthrates by age, sex, and race. This information gives us an idea about the types of people who are giving birth to children by certain characteristics. Analyzing the data and with regards to chart number 1, which is provided, one can see that the amount of births does not change that drastically by race. However, Blacks and Asian Pacific Islanders do have a slightly higher birth rate (both 27%).
             When this information is broken up by age in chart number 2, one can see that the percentage of teenage mothers is 11%, which does not seem like a high number but in relation to the others is still high.
             When analyzing chart number 86 in the tables in the Statistical Abstract one finds the number of births by teenage mothers from ages 15-19 broken up by race. In each race, the numbers are declining, however, they are still alarmingly high. Chart number 3, which is provided, shows the number of births by teenage mothers by all races from ages 15-19 from 1990-2001. As you can see the rate for all races is in fact declining, but at a very sl...