[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5091]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        WOMEN'S HEALTH WEDNESDAY

  (Ms. LEE of California asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, first let me just thank 
Congresswoman Chu and our colleagues for standing up for women's health 
today.
  Between 2009 and 2010, the United States teen birthrate saw a record 
9 percent decrease to 34 births per 1,000. This decrease is due in 
large part to increased contraceptives use in addition to sex 
education. Yet even as African American and Latina teens saw large 
birthrate decreases of 9 and 12 percent, respectively--and we know it's 
also true for Asian and Pacific American women--all three communities 
still experience much higher rates of pregnancy and sexually 
transmitted diseases and infections than white teens.
  The reality is not much better for African American women, who, like 
teens, experience more than double the unintended pregnancy rate of 
white women. This is unacceptable.
  Unintended pregnancy has a very real public health impact, not to 
mention the increased economic burden on families who are not able to 
adequately plan for their children. That is why access to affordable 
birth control is so very important for minority women.

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