Disparities in Teenage Pregnancy Rates

Recent data from The National Campaign shows large disparities in teen pregnancy along racial and ethnic lines. The policy brief offers these staggering statistics:

53 percent of Latina teens and 51 percent of African American teen girls will become pregnant at least once before they turn 20. In comparison, only 19 percent of non-Hispanic white teen girls under the age of 20 become pregnant.

The overall teen birth rate increased 3 percent between 2005 and 2006, the first increase in 15 years.

This week both Barack Obama and John McCain addressed the African American and Hispanic communities this week at the NAACP and La Raza conventions, yet neither of them mentioned the problem of teenage pregnancy. But while each candidate remained silent on the issue this week, there are drastic differences in their leadership and commitment to reduce the number of pregnancy among teenagers.

In 2007, Obama introduced the Communities of Color Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act, which authorizes grants for community-based interventions, supports research on the prevalence of teenage pregnancy among communities of color, and establishes a national clearinghouse to provide assistance to minority and ethnic groups.

We will never find a “one-size-fits-all” plan that effectively reduces the number of pregnancies among all American teens. When lawmakers consider policies to reduce teenage births, they should allow for flexibility so that each racial and ethnic community and geographic region can tailor evidence-based programs to fit their particular needs.

Most importantly, we need to have an open and honest discussion about these challenges, and our leaders need to make this a priority as Sen. Obama has.