How Texas’ abortion ban may be driving the state’s first upswing in teen pregnancy rate in 15 years

The Texas abortion ban has come with unintended consequences, from creating potentially deadly confusion when women seek medically necessary abortions to scaring away the state’s OB/GYN workforce. Now, data suggest there may be yet another unexpected aftereffect: a rise in teen birth rates. The fertility rate for Texas teens rose for the first time in 15 years in 2022, the year after the state’s six-week abortion ban took effect, a University of Houston study found.