Mississippi Has Most Teen Pregnancies

Mississippi has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the US, the AP reports. Some 68 Mississippi women out of 1,000 aged 15-19 got pregnant in 2006—the most recent year for which data are available, and in which the US rate rose for the first time in 15 years—says a CDC report released today. That’s 60% higher than the national average of 42 out of 1,000.

Texas and New Mexico were runners-up, with 64 and 63 teen pregnancies out of 1,000, respectively. The report shows the increase to be spread across the country, with the rate rising in 26 states. Some cite more federal funding for abstinence-only programs for the surge, to a chorus of disagreement; education, economics, and even glamorized celebrity pregnancies are also blamed. (More teen pregnancy stories.)