[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 12, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E9332-E9333]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         STATEMENT ON NATIONAL TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL N. CASTLE

                              of delaware

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 12, 1999

  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, as Co-Chair of the House Advisory Panel to 
the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, I would like to 
recognize May as National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month. According to 
new data recently released by the U.S. Department of Health and Social 
Services, both the teen birth rate and the teen pregnancy rate in the 
United States have shown another decline. And while this is good news, 
the United States still has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and 
births in the western industrialized world--53 births out of every 
1,000 births is to a teenage girl. More than 4 out of 10 young women 
become pregnant at least once before they reach the age of 20--
resulting in nearly 1 million births per year. While many government 
officials would take the fact that the numbers are dropping as good 
news, I think this is only a small step in the right direction.
  We need to continue to work toward lowering these numbers. 
Representative Lowey and I have introduced the Teenage Pregnancy 
Reduction Act of 1999, legislation to authorize Federal dollars to be 
used to conduct a study of effective teen pregnancy prevention 
programs. The study emphasizes determining the factors contributing to 
the effectiveness of the programs and methods for replicating 
successful programs in other locations. It also would call for the 
creation of a clearinghouse to collect, maintain and disseminate 
information on prevention programs which would develop an effective 
network of prevention programs.
  Far too many of our children spend the hours following school 
unsupervised and engaging in delinquent or unproductive behavior. 
Studies tell us that unsupervised children are at a significantly 
higher risk of truancy, stress, receiving poor grades, substance abuse 
and risk taking behaviors, including engaging in sexual activity. That 
is why I have introduced my ACE Act--After School Children's Education 
Act--it is another initiative that will go

[[Page E9333]]

far in preventing teen pregnancy. This legislation aims to study how 
after school programs can be expanded and improved to keep our children 
safe and help them learn between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
  Helping our communities prevent teen pregnancy is an important 
mission. Unmarried teenagers who become pregnant face severe emotional, 
physical, and financial difficulties. The children born to unmarried 
teenagers will struggle to fulfill the promise given to all human life, 
and many of them simply will not succeed. Many of them will remain 
trapped in a cycle of poverty, and unfortunately may become part of our 
criminal justice system.
  However, sometimes no matter what we do here in Washington and what 
parents do at home, kids have the most impact on each other. Young 
people can be and are positive influences on each other. Parents and 
other adults can encourage positive peer influence and mitigate 
negative peer influence. We must do all we can to encourage teens to 
take advantage of the potential positive influence of peers.
  Our goal to reduce teen pregnancy is challenging and difficult. But 
if we work together, we can make a difference.

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