[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 193 (Wednesday, December 6, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H14141]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           TEENAGE PREGNANCY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina [Mrs. Clayton] is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, our parents and grandparents have taught 
us that prevention is better than cure.
  Unintended teenage pregnancies illustrate this dilemma.
  Contrary to popular thinking, more than 9 out of 10 teenage 
pregnancies--96 percent--are unintended.
  Every year, more than 1 million American teenage girls become 
pregnant--and, the vast majority of them do not intend this result.
  If we had in place a more effective and comprehensive prevention 
program, in both the private and public sectors, greater than 90 
percent of the teenage girls who have babies may not get pregnant in 
the first place.
  If those girls did not get pregnant, we could save millions, perhaps 
billions, of medicaid and other federal dollars. This is an important 
observation during our budget legislation.
  The delivery of a baby and postnatal care to a pregnant teenager--who 
cannot afford the pregnency--costs the Government now about $8,400 each 
time.
  Over the years, teenage pregnancies cost continues to rise, through 
other entitlement programs and other costs associated with these 
pregnancies that were not intended and were not prepared for properly. 
A range of prevention activities would cost far, far less than that 
amount.
  The savings that could be experienced through a more effective 
prevention program could help avoid some of the cuts we are now 
postured to make. More important, effective prevention would save the 
teenagers productive life until that person is ready to become a 
parent. Mr. Speaker, I am sure you have heard that popular commercial 
that states, ``Pay me now or pay me later.''
  On teenage pregnancies, it is better to pay now than to pay later.
  There are effective programs, with proven track records, that reach 
about half of the girls who need help. With more effort, we can reach 
most or all of these girls. The proportion of sexually active 
adolescent women over age 15 increased substantially from the seventies 
to almost 50 percent in the early eighties.
  Although data for the first half of the 1980's suggested a leveling 
off to 44 percent, the data for 1988 was more than 50 percent and 
indicates a resumption of the increase rate.
  Available data for adolescent men over age 17 also shows a 
substantial increase in the proportion sexually active--up from 66 
percent in the late seventies to almost 80 percent in the late 
eighties.
  And, by 1992, the adolescent birth rate was more than 60 births per 
1,000 adolescents over age 15. Out-of-wedlock childbearing has 
increased steadily and markedly among adolescents.
  The birth rate for unmarried adolescents over age 15 increased from 
more than 22 births per 1,000 in 1970 to almost 45 births per 1,000 in 
1992.
  Moreover, in 1970, 30 percent of births to adolescents over age 15 
were out of wedlock as compared to 70 percent in 1991.
  The United States has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates of 
any western industrialized nation.
  These are unintended and preventable pregnancies--so why are we 
standing idly by?
  I issue a challenge to all my colleagues. We must do more than 
legislate, legislate, legislate. We must reach out with a caring hand 
to our youth and their families. We must try to stop these unintended 
pregnancies. Prevention is the key. An ounce of prevention is worth a 
pound of cure.

                          ____________________