By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
LANSING, MI – The percentage of babies born out of wedlock in Michigan has gone up almost ten percent in the past 15 years. That's according to a new study released by Michigan League for Human Services.
But the study also says teen pregnancies are down in the state, as are the number of women who don't receive prenatal care. Jane Zehnder-Merrell is with Michigan League for Human Services. She says that if care doesn't begin at the beginning insure more healthy births, kids are not only in jeopardy at birth, but in those early childhood years. She says that will insure more children will be successful in school.
Zehnder-Merrell says recent budget cut proposals to Medicaid from the state Senate threaten accessibility of prenatal care, and could hurt progress the state has made.