Planned Parenthood Federation of America Applauds Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard for Reintroducing Communities of Color Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act
For Immediate Release: Jan. 30, 2014
Noting the alarmingly high teen pregnancy rate in the U.S., Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) today applauded Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard for reintroducing legislation to invest in commonsense programs that will help reduce teen pregnancies and develop healthy relationships in African-American, Latino and other communities with high incidences of unintended and teenage pregnancies.
“When it comes to preventing unintended pregnancies and keeping our teens healthy and safe, hiding our heads in the sand is not a sound strategy,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “That’s why we applaud Rep. Roybal-Allard for introducing the Communities of Color Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act. This bill invests in programs that we know work for all of our teens from every community.”
The Communities of Color Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2010 (H.R. 5033) has three main components:
1. provide additional federal competitive grants for school-based and community-based teenage pregnancy intervention programs in minority communities
2. authorize a national multimedia campaign to educate and increase public awareness about teenage pregnancy prevention and healthy relationships in minority communities
3. provide research and evaluation funding through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for grantees to investigate the prevalence and underlying social causes as well as effective interventions for teen pregnancy and births in the African-American, Latino and other communities
Each year, nearly 750,000 American teens become pregnant. There are substantial racial and ethnic disparities among birthrates for adolescents aged 15–19. The birthrate for African-American teens is more than than twice as high as it for white teens, and it is three times higher for Hispanic teens.
As a health care provider, Planned Parenthood knows firsthand the power of education to help teens make responsible decisions to protect their health and to prevent unintended pregnancy. Planned Parenthood physicians, nurses, and educators see nearly 675,000 teenagers a year who come to our health centers to receive help in making informed decisions about their sexual health and healthy relationships. Moreover, more than six million teenagers worldwide seek medically accurate information on Planned Parenthood’s website, www.plannedparenthood.org.