Article critique for tomorrow at 9:00 am

Teen Pregnancy: A Preventable Epidemic

Our nation is facing an adolescent reproductive-health crisis, with one in four teenage

girls having a sexually transmitted disease, and one in three becoming pregnant before

the age of 20.1 To address this challenge, teens must be able to obtain confidential and

affordable reproductive-health services. However, anti-choice politicians have stymied

efforts to give teens the tools they need to protect themselves against unintended

pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). We continue to call on lawmakers

– pro-choice and pro-life alike – to work together to achieve real solutions – instead of

divisiveness.

The Facts

In spite of a recent decline, the United States still has the highest rate of teen pregnancy

in the western industrialized world.2 Studies show that the United States’ teen-

pregnancy rate is more than twice that of Canada and Sweden.3

§ Approximately 750,000 young women in the United States become pregnant each

year. Eighty-two percent of teen pregnancies are unplanned 4 and more than a

quarter of those end in abortion.5

§ Teen mothers are less likely to complete school, less likely go to college, more

likely to have large families, and more likely to stay single – increasing the

likelihood that their children will live in poverty.6

§ In addition to other consequences for young women and their children, teen

childbearing costs U.S. taxpayers at least $11 billion annually.7

§ A sexually active teen who does not use contraception has a 90-percent chance of

becoming pregnant within a year.8

Potentially due to factors such as decreased access to health-care services and

information, racial and ethnic disparities persist in the reproductive health of young

Americans.

§ The problem of teen pregnancy is more pronounced in the African-American and

Latino communities, where rates of teen pregnancy are higher than those in

white communities – 15 percent and 14 percent respectively, compared to five

percent.9

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§ Fifty-three percent of Latina teens and 51 percent of African-American teen girls

will become pregnant at least once before they turn 20. In comparison, only 19

percent of non-Hispanic white teen girls will become pregnant before the age of

20.10

A Failed Approach

Anti-choice lawmakers and advocates seized on this public-health crisis as an

opportunity to enact one of their longtime goals: withhold sex education from young

people in a misguided attempt to discourage them from having sex. Instead, they spent

more than $1 billion in taxpayer funds on “abstinence-only” programs11 – programs that

censor vital health information about contraception and safe sex. The approach has been

a spectacular failure.

§ Research shows that “abstinence-only” programs do not work and that

comprehensive sex-education programs do. In 2007, a report commissioned by

the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services concluded that students in

“abstinence-only” programs are no more likely to abstain from sex, delay

initiation of sex, or have fewer sexual partners.12 Furthermore, an extensive

academic evaluation of “abstinence-only” programs and comprehensive sex

education programs found strong evidence supporting the supposition that sex

education can both delay initiation of sex and increase condom or other

contraceptive use among youth.13

§ Making matters worse, President Bush slashed funding for after-school programs

that keep teens occupied during the hours when they are most likely to engage in

risky behavior, like sex, crime, and substance use. 14

Clearly, anti-choice politicians’ response to the issue of teen pregnancy didn’t work. In

fact, these types of policies only perpetuated the cycle of harmful consequences to young

women, their children, and communities as a whole:

§ Daughters of teen mothers face a much greater risk of ending up teen moms

themselves; nearly a third of daughters of teen moms had their first child when

they were teens.15

§ About one in four teen mothers under age 18 have a second baby within two

years after the birth of the first child.16

§ Children of teen mothers do worse in school than those with older parents. They

are more likely to repeat a grade, less likely to complete high school, and have

lower standardized-test scores. Additionally, less than two percent of young

teen mothers attain a college degree by the time they are 30.17

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§ Sixty-seven percent of teen mothers who move out of their families’ home live

below the poverty level and nearly two-thirds of teen mothers receive some type

of public assistance within the first year after their children were born.18

A Better Way

NARAL Pro-Choice America has long advocated for a more sensible approach to the

issue of teen pregnancy: sex-education programs, better access to birth control, and

investing in critical after-school programs. These interventions are proven to reduce

rates of teen pregnancy and STDs, and promote responsible behavior.

§ Teens must be given the information necessary to protect themselves against

unintended pregnancy and STDs.

§ Comprehensive sex-education programs work. They delay initiation of sex,

reduce frequency of sex, and increase contraceptive use.19

§ Research indicates that comprehensive approaches to sex education help

young people withstand the pressures of having sex before they are ready

and to have healthy, responsible relationships.20

§ Sex education and condom availability do not increase sexual activity among

teens.21

§ Teens must have access to confidential and affordable reproductive-health

services.

§ Research shows that restricted access to reproductive-health services and

parental-involvement mandates have negative consequences on teen

health. Studies show that even parental consent for birth control would

deter teens from seeking other reproductive-health services, including

testing and treatment for STDs.22

§ A recent study found that 86 percent of the recent decline in teen-

pregnancy rates was due to more teens using contraceptives.23

§ After-school programs reduce risky behavior by involving teens in activities that

provide safe settings and positive role models.

§ One study found that the likelihood of teens having sex for the first time

increases with the number of unsupervised hours teens have during a

week.24

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§ After-school programs help reduce the rate of teen pregnancy by

instilling good decision-making skills and positive role models in a

supervised setting.25

§ Teenage girls who play sports are more likely to delay sex, have fewer

partners, and are less likely to become pregnant.26

§ And Americans agree.

§ Ninety-nine percent of Americans agree that young people should be

provided with medically accurate information about STDs, and 94

percent of Americans believe young people should learn about birth

control.27

§ More than eight of 10 Americans believe that young people should be

taught how to use, and where to obtain, contraceptives.28

§ More than 80 percent of Americans believe that comprehensive sex-

education programs, which emphasize abstinence, but also encourage

condom and contraceptive use, should be implemented in school.29

§ Americans want schools to cover “real-life issues,” such as how to deal

with potential consequences of having sex and the emotional

consequences of being sexually active.30

Legislative Solutions

Embarking on a new direction with his first budget proposal for FY’10, President Obama

recommended eliminating funding for failed “abstinence-only” programs and called for

a new investment in evidence-based sex-education programs to prevent teen pregnancy.

Congress followed suit, allocating $114 million to the new initiative and continuing to

invest in the FY’11 and FY’12 cycles. Unfortunately, anti-choice lawmakers succeeded in

reviving the Title V “abstinence-only” program in the health-care-reform law (the

program had expired in June 2009).

Furthermore, pro-choice lawmakers have a serious, comprehensive plan to prevent teen

pregnancy, embodied in a package of legislative proposals. Together the agenda

represents a commonsense approach that incorporates honest sex education, promotes

abstinence (but not censorship), funds after-school programs, and supports parents.

§ The Real Education for Healthy Youth Act (S.1782/H.R.3324), authored by Sen.

Lautenberg and Rep. Lee in the 112th Congress, will expand comprehensive sex

education in elementary and secondary schools and universities while ensuring

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that federal funds are spent on effective, age-appropriate, medically accurate

programs.

§ Repealing Ineffective and Incomplete Abstinence-Only Program Funding Act

(S.578/H.R.1085), authored by Sen. Lautenberg and Rep. Lee in the 112th

Congress, would end the failed Title V “abstinence-only” program and redirect

funding toward programs that provide comprehensive sex education.31

§ The Responsible Education About Life Act, known as the REAL Act

(S.611/H.R.1511 in the 111th Congress), has been authored by Sen. Frank

Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA). This bill would establish the

first-ever federal program for comprehensive, medically accurate sex-education

programs.32

§ The Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Responsibility and Opportunity Act

(S.1137/H.R.2097 in the 110th Congress) sponsored by Sen. Robert Menendez and

Rep. Steve Rothman (both D-NJ) would help schools and non-profit

organizations set up programs that encourage teens to delay sexual activity and

help parents communicate with their children about sex. In addition, the

proposal would restore proposed funding cuts for essential after-school

programs that keep young people on the road to success.33

Conclusion

For too many years, anti-choice politicians have offered up failed, ineffective

“abstinence-only” programs as their only solution to the problem of teen pregnancy.

What works is clear: providing teens with medically accurate health information, access

to reproductive-health services – including contraceptives – and programs outside of

school hours.

Now is the time to move beyond politically divisive tactics and chart a new course that

helps teens avoid unintended pregnancy and plan for their futures.

January 1, 2014

Notes:

1 Press Release, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Nationally Representative CDC

Study Finds 1 in 4 Teenage Girls Has a Sexually Transmitted Disease (March 11, 2008), at

http://www.cdc.gov/stdconference/2008/press/release-11march2008.htm (last visited on Oct. 17,

2012).

2 Guttmacher Institute Facts on American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health (Feb. 2012) at

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html (last visited Oct. 17, 2012).

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3 Guttmacher Institute Facts on American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health (Feb. 2012) at

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html (last visited Oct. 17, 2012).

4 Guttmacher Institute Facts on American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health (Feb. 2012) at

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html (last visited Oct. 17, 2012).

5 Guttmacher Institute Facts on American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health (Feb. 2012) at

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html (last visited Oct. 17, 2012).

6 Guttmacher Institute Facts on American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health (Feb. 2012) at

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html (last visited Oct. 17, 2012); Kirby, Douglas,

Ph.D., Emerging Answers; Research Findings on Programs To Reduce Teen Pregnancy, THE

NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT TEEN PREGNANCY (November 2007).

7 The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, Counting It Up, The Public

Costs of Teen Childbearing: Key Data (Jun. 2011) at

http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/costs/pdf/counting-it-up/key-data.pdf (last visited Oct. 28,

2011).

8 Guttmacher Institute Facts on American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health (August 2011) at

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_ATSRH.html#n10 (last visited October 28, 2011);

9 Legal Momentum, Sex Lies & Stereotypes How Abstinence-Only Programs Harm Women and Girls

(2008) at www.legalmomentum.org, pg 23.

10 National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, Policy Brief: Racial and Ethnic

Disparities in Teen Pregnancy (June 2010) at

http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/Briefly_PolicyBrief_RacialEthnicDisparities.

pdf (last visited Oct. 17, 2012).

11 Sharon Jayson, Study: Abstinence classes don’t stop sex, USA TODAY, Apr. 13, 2007.

12 Mathematica, Impacts of Four Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Programs; Final Report

(Apr. 2007).

13 Leslie Kantor et al., Abstinence-Only Policies and Programs: An Overview. 5 SEXUALITY RES. & SOC.

POL’Y 6-17 (2008). 14 Sharon Parrott and Jennifer Mezey, Bush Administration Projects That the Number of Children

Receiving Child Care Subsidies Will Fall By 200,000 During the Next Five Years; Actual Loss in Child

Care Subsidies Likely Would Be Far Greater, CENTER FOR BUDGET AND POLICY PRIORITIES

(Feb. 5, 2003).

15 The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Why It Matters: Linking Teen Pregnancy

Prevention to Other Critical Social Issues (March 2010) at

http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/why-it-matters/pdf/introduction.pdf (last visited Oct. 18,

2012).

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16 The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Why It Matters: Teen Pregnancy, Poverty,

and Income Disparity (March 2010); March of Dimes, Quick Reference: Teenage Pregnancy (November

2009) at http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1159.asp (last visited Oct. 18, 2012).

17

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Why It Matters, Teen Pregnancy and

Education (July 2012) at http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/why-it-matters/pdf/Childbearing-

Education-EconomicWellbeing.pdf (last visited Oct. 18, 2012). 18 The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Why It Matters, Teen Pregnancy and

Education (July 2012) at http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/why-it-matters/pdf/Childbearing-

Education-EconomicWellbeing.pdf (last visited Oct. 18, 2012).

19 Kirby, Douglas, Ph.D., Emerging Answers; Research Findings on Programs To Reduce Teen

Pregnancy, THE NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT TEEN PREGNANCY (November 2007).

20 Guttmacher Institute, Facts on American Teens’ Sources of Information About Sex (February 2012)

at http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-Teen-Sex-Ed.html (last visited Oct. 23, 2012).

21 Kirby, Douglas, Ph.D., Emerging Answers; Research Findings on Programs To Reduce Teen

Pregnancy, THE NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT TEEN PREGNANCY (November 2007).

22 Cynthia Dailard and Chinué, Teenagers’ Access to Confidential Reproductive Health Services, THE

GUTTMACHER REPORT ON PUBLIC POLICY (Nov. 2005).

23 News Release, Guttmacher Institute, U.S. Teen Pregnancy Rates Are Down Primarily Because Teens

Are Using Contraceptives Better (Dec. 1, 2006).

24 Jennifer Manlove, Ph.D., Kerry Franzetta, Krystal McKinney, Angela Romano Papillo, M.A.,

Elizabeth Terry-Humen, M.P.P., A Good Time: After-School Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy, THE

NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT TEEN PREGNANCY (Jan. 2004).

25 Afterschool Alliance, Afterschool Alert Issue Brief; Afterschool and Pregnancy Prevention (Jul. 2002)

at http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/issue_briefs/issue_pregnancy_11.pdf (last visited Oct. 23,

2012).

26 Jennifer Manlove, Ph.D., Kerry Franzetta, Krystal McKinney, Angela Romano Papillo, M.A.,

Elizabeth Terry-Humen, M.P.P., A Good Time: After-School Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy, THE

NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT TEEN PREGNANCY (Jan. 2004).

27 National Public Radio/Kaiser Family Foundation/Kennedy School of Government, Sex

Education in America; General Public/Parent Survey (Jan. 2004).

28 National Public Radio/Kaiser Family Foundation/Kennedy School of Government, Sex

Education in America; General Public/Parent Survey (Jan. 2004).

29 Kirby, Douglas, Ph.D., Emerging Answers; Research Findings on Programs To Reduce Teen

Pregnancy, THE NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT TEEN PREGNANCY (November 2007).

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30 National Public Radio/Kaiser Family Foundation/Kennedy School of Government, Sex

Education in America; General Public/Parent Survey (Jan. 2004).

31

S. 578, 112 th

Cong. § 1 (2011); H.R. 1085, 112th Cong. § 1 (2011). 32 S. 611, 111th Cong. § 1 (2009); H.R. 1551, 111th Cong. § 1 (2009).

33 S. 1137, 110th Cong. § 1 (2007); H.R. 2097, 110th Cong. § 1 (2007).