Pueblo’s teen pregnancy rate has dropped by 56 percent over the past six years to about 27.5 out of every 1,000 teenage girls, dramatically down from 63 out of 1,000 teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 19, in Pueblo. It’s a trend worth rejoicing since teen pregnancy often leads to negative societal outcomes.

“I think that (teen pregnancy) was very detrimental to Pueblo because it took away a lot of potential,” said Lynn Procell, director of Community Health Services for the Pueblo City-County Health Department. “We had a lot of young men and women that could have done other things with their life, and it helped keep us in poverty because we know that if a mom becomes a teen parent, there’s a chance that she’ll live in poverty for the rest of her life.”

She said the cycle of poverty often extends for generations of children brought into this world by teenage mothers.

Read more at The Pueblo Chieftain.