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Better results for kids and families through research-informed policy

Executive Summary

1. What Results Do You Want?

Children born as a result of unintended pregnancies run higher risks of low birth-weight and preterm birth, both of which increase the likelihood of infant mortality. For teens, becoming a parent is a leading reason for dropping out of high school. Teen childbearing in the United States costs taxpayers at least $10.9 billion (2008) due to expenditures associated with negative consequences for the children of teens.[1] See more information on priorities and indicators.

2. How Are Your Kids?

Three in 10 girls in the U.S. get pregnant by age 20.Though both the national teen pregnancy and teen birth rates are down about one third since the early 1990s, the U.S. still has the highest rates in the industrialized world. See data for your state, and guidance for understanding root causes and projections and setting targets.

3. What Can Policymakers Do?

Strategies

Raise awareness and build public will for addressing both teen and unplanned pregnancy.

  • Use the bully pulpit to generate attention.
  • Use data to make the case for reducing teen and unplanned pregnancies.
  • Support policies that reflect the distinctions between teen pregnancies and unplanned pregnancies among adults.
  • Link teen and unplanned pregnancies to other high priority issues.

Support a broad teen pregnancy prevention approach.

  • Inform and support parents of teens.
  • Support public awareness campaigns.
  • Fund proven teen pregnancy prevention interventions.
  • Focus interventions on teens in foster care.

Reduce unplanned pregnancies among unmarried young adults.

  • Improve young adults’ access to accurate information on sex, relationships, abstinence and contraception.
  • Expand coverage and improve access to family planning services.

Success Story - California Family PACT

4. How Can You Ensure Success?

There are a number of strategies to reduce teen and unplanned pregnancies, for guidance on successful implementation and oversight.

5. How Can You Sustain Success?

Guidance on Financing and Investing in Results and Financing Options.

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[1] Hoffman, S. (2006). By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

Resource: See the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy for 50-state data, research, best practices, and policy guidance.

High-risk Group: Teens with Gang Affiliations A recent study of teens in a predominantly Latino San Francisco neighborhood found that that teenage girls whose boyfriends are in a gang are twice as likely to become pregnant as their peers. The findings suggest that integrating reproductive health education with violence prevention efforts is an important intervention strategy for this population. For more information, see Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Making a Difference for High-risk Populations (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2009).

Reaching Out to Men. States can pursue a range of promising strategies to reach men with information and prevention services, including partnerships with child support enforcement, workforce programs, vocational schools, and others. Virginia’s Partners in Prevention programs seek male participation by offering the intervention in combination with sporting activities such as basketball and flag football teams. They also partner with community colleges and vocational schools, parole and probation offices, subsidized housing, and family planning clinics. For more on promoting male involvement.