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Roybal-Allard
Contact: Helen Machado 202 225-1766


Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34), U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Introduce the Communities of Color Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2011
Legislation Provides Federal Funding for Minority Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs

Washington, Jul 28 -

Despite the fact that our nation has made progress to reduce the rate of teen pregnancy, many minority communities continue to struggle with disproportionately high rates.  To address disturbing statistics that show over half of all Latina and African American girls will become pregnant at least once before they turn 20, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard and U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer introduced The Communities of Color Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2011.



“Teenage pregnancies often lead to significant social, educational, and financial burdens to families. Girls who become pregnant in adolescence will be less likely to finish high school, face higher rates of unemployment, and have a greater dependence on public assistance.  There are also health consequences.  Teenage pregnancies increase the risk of preterm or low birth weight infants, birth complications and infant mortality,” Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said.  “We have a national duty to work together to reduce teen pregnancy and increase awareness of teen pregnancy prevention. While there is no simple approach to address teen sexual behavior, we know that an effective strategy to reduce teen pregnancy involves sexual health education that takes into consideration cultural and linguistic differences.”



Click here to view Congresswoman Roybal-Allard's July 27 floor statement about the measure. 



Senator Boxer said, “This important legislation (S.1437) will help minority communities reduce high rates of unintended pregnancy and help young women and men to plan their families and their futures.”   



H.R.2678, The Communities of Color Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2011 would make additional federal competitive grants available for existing and new school-based and community-based teenage pregnancy intervention programs in minority communities.  The legislation would also authorize a national multimedia educational campaign to provide public education and increase public awareness about teenage pregnancy prevention and the importance of promoting and building healthy relationships to prevent teenage pregnancies. Finally, the legislation would offer competitive grants to conduct research into the prevalence and underlying social causes of teen pregnancy and births in minority communities as well as to evaluate the most effective approaches to address and reduce teen pregnancies.



New research also shows that adolescent girls in physically abusive relationships are three times more likely to become pregnant than non-abused girls. The legislation addresses this problem by providing grants and public educational outreach in communities of color to study the role that violence and abuse play in the decisions young people make about their partners, sex, pregnancy, and childbearing, and to promote healthy relationships.



Click here to read what the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and Futures Without Violence are saying about the legislation.