Teenage childbirth harms the next generation (U.S. report)

From the article:

Teen childbearing has declined sharply since the early 1990s but remains costly to U.S. taxpayers, incurring a tab of least $9.1 billion in 2004, according to a report to be released today.

The children of teen mothers have higher health care, foster-care and incarceration costs than those of older parents, says the report commissioned by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, a nonprofit advocacy group. Like their parents, they earn less as adults and pay less in taxes.

Wade Horn, assistant secretary for children and families at the Health and Human Services Department, says

"Teen birthrates drive a lot of negative social indicators,"