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The teen pregnancy rate in the United States remains unacceptably high. Teens must be able to obtain confidential and affordable reproductive-health services to protect themselves against unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
With pro-choice President Obama and pro-choice leadership in Congress, there is an opportunity for 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.
- Studies show that the United States teen-pregnancy rate is nearly twice that in Canada and Great Britain and approximately four times that in France and Sweden.
- Approximately 750,000 young women in the United States – almost one in three – becomes pregnant before she reaches the age of 20.
- Eight in ten of these pregnancies are unintended and nearly a third end in abortion.
"Abstinence-only": A Failed Approach
Under President Bush, Congress spent more than $1 billion in taxpayer dollars on "abstinence-only" programs, which contributed to our growing public-health crisis.
- Research shows that “abstinence-only” programs do not work. A report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services concludes that students in abstinence-only programs are no more likely to abstain from sex, delay initiation of sex, or have fewer sexual partners.
- Instead of providing teens with important information and health care, the Bush administration restricted teens' access to birth control and other health care.
- 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.
A Better Way
NARAL Pro-Choice America believes that with pro-choice leadership in Congress and a pro-choice president, a better plan for helping teens prevent pregnancy can be achieved through sex-education programs, better access to birth control, and investing in critical after-school programs.
Read the full fact sheet |
