[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 108 (Monday, July 22, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H8076]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TEENAGE PREGNANCY PREVENTION

  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, we care about our young people, and 
contrary to what some believe, they care about themselves.
  Most of our young people want to be positive and want to be 
productive.
  Most of our young people want to join in the effort to begin to end 
the cycle of teenage pregnancy.
  How can we begin to end the cycle of teenage pregnancy?
  By insuring that our young people can get an education, can get a 
job, can have a career, can have a chance, and have confidence in 
themselves.
  And, one of the best ways to achieve these important goals is to make 
sure that young people learn about the impact premature pregnancy has 
on the lives of those who face that problem.
  Learning about the impact of premature pregnancy is important for 
boys too, not just girls.
  All teenagers must take responsibility to prevent adolescent 
pregnancies.
  Young people need to learn about school-based health clinics, health 
departments and other places where they and their parents can seek help 
and advice.
  They need information on the physical and social effects of premature 
pregnancy.
  Most importantly, our young people must learn about choices, how to 
make them, where they can lead and why it is important to postpone 
sexual involvement.
  Congress has a responsibility to make sure our young people have real 
choices and a real chance.
  There is currently a National Campaign to Prevent Teenage Pregnancy. 
The goal of the campaign is to reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy by 
one-third in 10 years.
  That is an achievable goal.
  That is a reasonable goal.
  It is a campaign we can win.
  It is a campaign we must win.
  It is a campaign that all of us should join--young and old, male and 
female, rich and not so rich, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.
  Every 60 seconds in America, a child is born to a teen mother. The 
increase in teenage childbearing is alarming.
  More than 30 percent of all out-of-wedlock births is to teenagers, 
below age 20.
  We can not and must not ignore the reality that many young men and 
women are increasingly delaying marriage until their mid-twenties and 
beyond--but not sexual activity.
  Because young men and women are becoming sexually experienced at 
younger ages without the benefit of marriage and sex education, there 
are proportionally more teenagers exposed to the risk of unmarried 
pregnancy and related health problems.
  Sadly, according to a recent report to Congress, the young women and 
men who become teen parents have few expectations, few ties to 
community institutions, few adult mentors and role models, and too much 
spare time.
  Too many live in communities where crime and drug use are common, 
where dropping out of school and chronic unemployment are even more 
common.
  In my opinion these causes can be reduced to the lack of hope and 
confidence in the future by our teenagers.
  Yet, our society can not endure this human burden.
  We must, therefore, implement pregnancy prevention programs that 
educate and support school age youths and their family members, 
particularly those in high risk situations.
  And, we must implement comprehensive social and health services, with 
an emphasis on pregnancy prevention.
  Recently, this House refused to spend $30 million, requested by the 
President, to help control and prevent the alarming growth of teenage 
pregnancies. Yet, we spend $6.4 billion annually on programs once 
teenagers are pregnant and have children.
  We will not spend one-half of 1 percent to prevent a problem that 
costs us more than 200 times that amount in the long run.
  And what did this House do when faced with this illogical spending?
  In the welfare reform bill that passed just last week, families that 
have additional children will be denied cash welfare payments.
  And, unmarried children under the age of 18 who have a child will be 
denied cash welfare payments under certain conditions.
  Why are some insisting upon punishing children rather than preventing 
pregnancies, especially among our adolescents?
  Teen pregnancy is a near-certain predictor of poverty.
  There is a connection with the fact that every 32 seconds a baby is 
born in poverty.
  If all of the teenage mothers had been able to delay becoming 
pregnant until they were older and financially able to take care of a 
baby, the resources we use on them could be used in other productive 
ways--for education, for recreation programs, for jobs and job 
training, for housing, and for health services.
  And, we should not forget that teen pregnancy is also a strong 
predictor of a new generation of disadvantage.
  It should trouble each of us that America is first in the world in 
health technology, yet 18th in infant mortality.
  This Nation is first in the world in defense expenditures, yet 19th 
in low-birthweight babies.
  The actions and inactions of Congress in the weeks and months ahead 
will reflect the choice we have made for the future.
  A choice between what is good for the many or good for a few--between 
communities that are average and those that are exceptional--between 
going forward or falling backwards--between individual comfort and 
functioning families.
  And if our children are not able to contribute and are not able to 
properly and fully develop as adults, it will cost us more to respond 
to their dysfunctions than it will cost us to prevent them.
  We can pay less now, Mr. Speaker, or we can pay more later.
  We can construct a budget with a vision for the future, or we can 
destroy a budget with blindfolds of the past.
  I urge my colleagues to look to the future.

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