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OCR Page 1 of 68ED 19:24 FAX 2026905673
DHHS/ASPA
002
Sheet) Preventing Teenage Pregnancy
te: Thursday, September 11, 1997
ACT SHEET
Contact: HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343
PREVENTING TEENAGE PREGNANCY
Overview: Despite the recent decline in the teen birth rate, teen pregnancy remains a significant
problem in this country. Most teen pregnancies are unintended. Each year, approximately one
million pregnancies occur among American teenagers aged 15-19. And almost 200,000 teens
aged 17 and younger have children. Their babies are often low birth weight and have
disproportionately high infant mortality rates. They are also far more likely to be poor. About 80
percent of the children born to unmarried teenagers who dropped out of high school are poor. In
contrast, just 8 percent of children born to married high school graduates aged 20 or older are
poor.
In his 1995 State of the Union Address, President Clinton challenged "parents and leaders all
across this country to join together in a national campaign against teen pregnancy to make a
difference. A group of prominent Americans responded to that challenge, forming the National
Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. As the President's Senior Advisor on Teen Pregnancy and
Youth Issues, Dr. Henry Foster serves as liaison to the National Campaign.
On January 4, 1997, President Clinton announced a comprehensive effort by his Administration
to prevent teen pregnancy in this country. The new initiative, led by the Department of Health and
Human Services, responds to a call from the President and Congress for a national strategy to
prevent out-of-wedlock teen pregnancies and to a directive, under the new welfare law, to assure
that at least 25 percent of communities in this country have teen pregnancy prevention programs
in place.
Building on the variety of efforts already underway, the national strategy works to prevent
out-of-wedlock teen pregnancies and encourage adolescents to remain abstinent. The strategy
sends the strongest possible message to all teens that postponing sexual activity, staying in school,
and preparing to work are the right things to do. It will strengthen ongoing efforts across the
nation by increasing opportunities through welfare reform; supporting promising approaches;
building partnerships; improving data collection, research, and evaluation; and disseminating
information on innovative and effective practices.
Recent Trends
After rising steadily from 1986 to 1991, the birth rate for teens aged 15-19 declined for the sixth straight
year in 1996, from a high of 62.1 per 1,000 teens aged 15-19 in 1991 to 54.7 in 1996. The decline was
12 percent between 1991 and 1996 and four percent from 1995 to 1996. All 50 states had a sustained
decline in their teen birth rates between 1991 and 1995, and 21 of these states had declines of more than
10 percent over this period. In addition, from 1991 to 1992, the pregnancy rate for 15 to 19 year olds
fell three percent. Recent declines in both birth and abortion rates indicate that teen pregnancy rates are
continuing to fall.
The National Strategy to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Building on our current efforts to prevent teen pregnancy, the national strategy announced by President
Clinton on January 4, 1997 is designed to strengthen the national response to prevent out-of-wedlock
t-en pregnancies and support and encourage adolescents to remain abstinent:
Implementing New Efforts Under Welfare Reform. Under the welfare law signed by President
of
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