Teen birth rates in Texas have spiked, marking the first increase in 15 years and painting a rather startling picture of the state's reproductive landscape post-abortion ban. The University of Houston's Institute for Research on Women, Gender & Sexuality found that the state's overall fertility rate jumped for the first time since 2014, especially among Hispanic women, according to their report published last Friday.
Elizabeth Gregory, the institute's director, highlighted the notable rise in births per 1,000 women aged 15-44, emphasizing the need to thoroughly address how such state laws could affect workforce and income levels. "These are big issues that affect people's lives in major ways," Gregory said. In 2022, Texas experienced over 16,000 additional births compared to the previous year, signaling a 2% rise in fertility across racial demographics—with a 5.1% uptick among Hispanic women, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
The data suggest a worrying trend for Texas teens, particularly those who find themselves balancing parenthood with their education. Following the implementation of Texas' six-week abortion ban, the steady decline in teen birth rates met its end in 2022, with a slight uptick across all racial groups. "This is potentially a precursor of what data we'll see next year coming out in relation to 2023 fertility data that will reflect the Dobbs decision," Gregory pointed out in her statement obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
Texas, already known for its high teen pregnancy rates, has been singled out for another distressing statistic—it tops the nation in teens giving birth multiple times. A report by The Texas Tribune details accounts of young women like Iryanna Rodriguez, who at 18 is already a parent to two children. She's part of a statistic that shows more than one in six Texas teenagers who gave birth in 2020 were already onto their second child.
The gap in sexual health education is pointedly illustrated by adolescents' stories across Texas. Jannely Villegas, who learned about sex from the TV show "16 and Pregnant," expressed regret over not having adequate knowledge of reproductive health. “I wish someone taught me about any of that stuff,” Villegas told The Texas Tribune, after detailing her traumatic solo childbirth experience. These personal accounts offer a glimpse into the lives of many young Texans—one where access to birth control and comprehensive sex education seems more like an exception than the rule.
Educators like Cardenas at Brownsville Independent School District's Lincoln Park see the issue firsthand and stress the necessity of being proactive with sexual education. Their students are smart and ambitious, yet they juggle demands most others couldn't imagine. "We need to be proactive instead of reactive," she added in a statement to The Texas Tribune.
