[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 7, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E706]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 NATIONAL DAY TO PREVENT TEEN PREGNANCY

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                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 7, 2014

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
support of the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy which is May 7 
this year. Across the country, hundreds of thousands of teens and 
hundreds of organizations will participate in activities and events 
today to focus on the avoidance of teen pregnancy.
  Since the 1990s when groups began to bring attention to teen 
pregnancy rates in the United States, teen pregnancy has decreased by 
44 percent. However, three in ten teenagers in the United States still 
become pregnant. There are clear disparities in teen pregnancy rates 
that are often the result of social issues like poverty, educational 
attainment, and involvement in the criminal justice or welfare systems.
  Each year, teen childbearing costs our taxpayers at least $9 billion. 
Texas contributes approximately $1.1 billion to that price tag. A child 
born to unmarried teen parents is nine times more likely to grow up in 
poverty and subsequently incur the additional costs associated with 
public health care and participation in welfare programs. The average 
cost to taxpayers associated with a child born to a teen mother each 
year from their birth to age fifteen is $1,682. Between 1991 and 2010 
in Texas, there were more than one million teen births.
  We must commit to efforts to reduce the high rates of teen 
pregnancies and births in this country. Please join me in supporting 
the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy by raising awareness, 
promoting parent-child communication, and supporting educational 
programs that have been proven to reduce teen pregnancy.

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