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Thursday, November 12, 2026Nov 12

Is economy best birth control? U.S. births dip again

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By MIKE STOBBE

AP Medical Writer

ATLANTA – The economy may well be the best form of birth control.

U.S. births dropped for the third straight year – especially for young mothers – and experts think money worries are the reason.

A federal report released Thursday showed declines in the birth rate for all races and most age groups. Teens and women in their early 20s had the most dramatic dip, to the lowest rates since record-keeping began in the 1940s. Also, the rate of cesarean sections stopped going up for the first time since 1996.