NEW STUDY ON RISING TEEN PREGNANCIES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 6, 2007

CONTACT:
Afshin Mohamadi 202.224.4744

NEW STUDY ON RISING TEEN PREGNANCIES UNDERSCORES NEED FOR STRONG FOCUS ON PREVENTION, SAYS AUTHOR OF TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION BILL

Earlier this year, Sen. Menendez introduced S.1137, to reduce teen pregnancies through education and information programs

Washington, D.C. – A study by the National Center for Health Statistics released yesterday revealed that teen birth rates have risen in the past couple of years after a decade of decline. Among young girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years of age, the birth rate rose by 3 percent between 2005 and 2006. The statistics are especially troubling because for over more than a decade the teen birth rates had declined significantly by 34 percent.

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), an advocate for the prevention of teen pregnancies, has introduced the Teen Pregnancy, Prevention, Responsibility and Opportunity Act (S.1137) earlier this year to curb the incidence of unwanted pregnancies through comprehensive education and information programs, positive activities and engaging role models both in and out of schools.

“Our role as a community is to provide opportunity and education for our young people and to ensure that they are making healthy decisions about their lives, so that they can ultimately succeed,” said Menendez. “This study is yet again more evidence that abstinence-only education isn’t working. My teen pregnancy prevention bill creates a comprehensive approach to fighting teen pregnancy and giving young people the support they need to make informed decisions.”

This bill will help prevent teen pregnancy by:

Creating a new Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grant
The new teen pregnancy prevention grant program will be available for local educational agencies, state and local public health agencies, and non-profits to provide information that is age-appropriate, factually and medically accurate and complete, and scientifically-based.

Increasing Funding For After School Programs
1. 21st Century Community Learning Centers: These programs expand academic enrichment opportunities for children attending low performing schools.
2. GEAR-UP: This program is a discretionary grant program designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
3. Trio: This program includes six outreach and support programs targeted to serve and assist low-income, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post baccalaureate programs.
4. Carol White: This program provides funds for local educational agencies (LEAs) to initiate, expand, and improve physical education programs and assist LEAs in meeting State standards for physical education.

Establishing a Demonstration Project
The 5-year demonstration project would be available for schools, non-profits, consortiums, and community organizations to encourage creative new programs to supplement teen pregnancy prevention education programs in school or after school.


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