Poverty, Opportunity and Teen Pregnancy

Almost all our teen mothers are low-income, poorly educated and low-skilled. Ever since teen pregnancy was defined as a major social concern, policymakers have tried to put a brake on the trend on the reasonable presumption that having a child in the teen years limits a girl's -- not to mention her baby's -- chances. Considerable evidence shows that girls from poor families who avoid pregnancy outside of marriage and finish high school have a nearly 75 percent chance of joining the middle class.