Macon County Coalition Marks Decline in Teen Births

DECATUR, Ill. (AP) — Health advocates in central Illinois are celebrating a decline in births to teenage mothers in Macon County.

The (Decatur) Herald & Review reports the trend mirrors the state and the nation. Teen births in 2012 comprised 13 percent of all births in Macon County. The figure dropped to 9 percent in 2014.

Macon County Teen Health Coalition members point toward many possible reasons, including the increasing use of long-lasting birth control methods.

And the coalition backs an after-school program called Girls Empowered to Make Successes. The program helps girls make positive decisions. Fourteen-year-old Jemariah Perkins spoke at a news conference in Decatur this week to mark Teen Pregnancy Prevention Week. She says the program helped her and should be required for all students.

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