Planned Parenthood Affiliates File for a Preliminary Injunction to Prevent Termination of Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grants
For Immediate Release: March 17, 2018
Washington DC — Friday evening, Planned Parenthood affiliates filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent termination of their grants under the evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPPP), through which 1.2 million young people will access the information and resources they need to make healthy decisions about their lives and future. The preliminary injunction is part of ongoing lawsuits filed in February, following the Trump-Pence administration’s unlawful termination of the TPPP grant agreements. The injunction requests that the grants be able to continue while the lawsuit is underway.
For the past seven years, the TPPP has contributed to a dramatic decline in unintended teenage pregnancy. In fact, there was a 41 percent decrease in birth rates among teenagers during the first phase of the program thanks, in part, to increased access to education about sexual health, birth control, and pregnancy. The program’s evidence-based approach has been applauded by experts and is widely recognized as a successful and cost-effective approach to reducing unintended pregnancy among teens. The abrupt and arbitrary end to the TPPP grant agreements disproportionately affects communities with high rates of unintended teen pregnancy, youth of color, families in rural communities, and youth who already face significant barriers when trying to access information or health care.
Statement from Leslie Kantor, Vice President of Education, Planned Parenthood Federation of America:
The ability to control our bodies, our families, and our paths in life is the most basic freedom and it starts with education. We are in court fighting for young people’s right to the education and information they need to make smart decisions about their future. From eliminating the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program to shifting Title X funding away from reproductive health care providers, the Trump-Pence administration has made their abstinence-only-until-marriage agenda crystal clear. If the administration succeeds, it would abruptly cut off at least one million young people from high-quality, evidence-based programs that help them stay safe and make healthy decisions about their futures. We hold the Trump-Pence administration accountable for attempting to dismantle a program that has proven to have a positive impact on young people across the country
Attorneys from the law firm Arnold & Porter, alongside Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Spokane-based Center for Justice, are representing Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands (PPGNHI), Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho (PPGWNI), and Planned Parenthood of the Heartland (PPHeartland).
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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.