Did you know that teen pregnancy in North Carolina costs state taxpayers an estimated $312 million annually?

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy released the results of a study in October 2006 that calculates the cost of teen pregnancy in North Carolina as $312 million annually.  However, the state spends only $2.5 million each year to prevent adolescent pregnancies across the state.  "Clearly there is a need to use our tax dollars more efficiently," said Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina (APPCNC) Executive Director Kay Phillips, "We must make teen pregnancy prevention a priority in the state of North Carolina, saving our youth and our money."

Teen pregnancy and child-bearing have significant economic and social costs.  Progress in preventing teen pregnancy will benefit taxpayers and the economy, as well as improve the educational, health, and social prospects for this generation of young people and the next.  Successful teen pregnancy prevention efforts will not only improve the health and well-being of children, families, and communities, but will also reduce the burden on taxpayers.  Prevention is the responsible approach to reducing unintended pregnancies and thus the need for abortion through increasing access to family planning services, access to affordable birth control and by providing comprehensive age appropriate sex education. 

Press Release, Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina, An Ounce of Teen Pregnancy Prevention is Worth $312 Million in North Carolina (Oct. 30, 2006);  Press Release, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Teen Childbearing in North Carolina Costs Taxpayers $312 Million Annually (Oct. 30, 2006);  The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing in North Carolina (Nov. 2006).