Jackson Free Press

Sept. 7, 2011

Mississippi's high teen birth rate costs taxpayers $155 million annually, a Women's Fund of Mississippi study released today finds.

At morning press conference representatives from The Women's Fund of Mississippi, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of women, the Mississippi Economic Policy Center and the education nonprofit Mississippi First discussed the study.

In 2009, 7,078 infants were born to women under the age of 20 in Mississippi and one third of those births were to women under the age of 17, The Mississippi Economic Policy Center finds.

The $155 million includes lost tax revenue from lower wages among teen parents and their children, incarceration costs of sons of teen parents, and the cost of public assistance to teens and families.

The report also suggest solutions for tackling the teen pregnancy rate such as school districts teaching comprehensive sex education that includes information about contraceptives, mentorships and more employment opportunities for youth in the state.

See Thursday's JFP Daily for more on the report.