“Unintended teen pregnancies affect many of our communities, especially the Latino community.  The teen pregnancy rate for Latinas is 69% higher than the national average,” said Congresswoman Solis. “In California, Latina adolescents are four times as likely to become parents as their white counterparts. Although family and children are a blessing, starting a family too soon can keep our young people from important educational opportunities and career development.”

The legislation takes a three-part approach to address teen pregnancy in communities of color, utilizing community-based intervention programs, schools, and multimedia education campaigns to promote and strengthen communications regarding teen pregnancy. This bill also supports the establishment of a national clearinghouse to provide information and assistance to develop content and messages for teen pregnancy prevention targeting communities of color.

"This bill provides a much-needed investment in providing additional support to communities with high rates of teen pregnancy,” said Sarah Brown, director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. “Postponing early pregnancy and childbearing will help more young people fulfill their educational and career goals, and, in turn, contribute to stronger families and communities." 

“Hispanas Organized for Political Equality applauds Congresswoman Solis for her leadership and commitment to reducing teen pregnancies in communities of color by introducing this bill,” said Helen I. Torres, executive director for HOPE. “It is important that Congress dedicate resources to combating teen pregnancy in communities of color by supporting local programs that work and providing research to help us understand and address the disparities we see.”

It is estimated that 51% of Latina teens become pregnant at least once before age 20.  This rate is nearly two times higher than the national average and the rate is even higher among African-American teens (57%), according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.