Fund Teen Pregnancy Prevention With Evidence, Not Ideology
The Issue
The Trump administration just replaced $143 million in proven teen pregnancy prevention programs with a new grant competition that requires applicants to promote abstinence, prioritize programs that emphasize marriage before procreation, and exclude diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
It replaced programs that were working. Teen pregnancy rates in the United States have hit historic lows in recent years. Now the administration has removed its own list of evidence-based curricula, leaving prospective grantees with no guidance on what acceptable programs look like, according to Rachel Fey, interim co-CEO of Power to Decide, a nonprofit focused on sexual and reproductive health. "I don't think talking about preserving your fertility is going to change behavior for a 16-year-old," Fey told Education Week, "except maybe to discourage them or scare them away from using things like contraception."
On June 26, HHS abruptly terminated the remaining two years of funding for more than 50 Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program grants across 25 states, totaling $143 million in canceled awards. Termination letters accused grantees of normalizing sexual activity for minors, accusations that program directors say are false. Some letters flagged programs for sharing "advice on making condom use more pleasurable," according to the letters. A federal judge ruled in July 2026 that the legal language HHS used to justify the cancellations is illegal. A coalition of affected grantees from Minnesota and Washington filed a federal lawsuit on July 14.
None of it came with any warning. "There was no runway," said Rhonda Braxton, vice president of health and wellness at Children's Aid, a New York City nonprofit that supported 1,200 young people per year under its now-canceled grant.
This is the second time the Trump administration has tried this approach. Courts ruled the first-term terminations illegal. The outcome should be the same now.
Sign this petition to demand Congress restore Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program funding, reject abstinence-only requirements that contradict the evidence, and hold HHS accountable for illegal grant terminations.
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The Issue
The Trump administration just replaced $143 million in proven teen pregnancy prevention programs with a new grant competition that requires applicants to promote abstinence, prioritize programs that emphasize marriage before procreation, and exclude diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
It replaced programs that were working. Teen pregnancy rates in the United States have hit historic lows in recent years. Now the administration has removed its own list of evidence-based curricula, leaving prospective grantees with no guidance on what acceptable programs look like, according to Rachel Fey, interim co-CEO of Power to Decide, a nonprofit focused on sexual and reproductive health. "I don't think talking about preserving your fertility is going to change behavior for a 16-year-old," Fey told Education Week, "except maybe to discourage them or scare them away from using things like contraception."
On June 26, HHS abruptly terminated the remaining two years of funding for more than 50 Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program grants across 25 states, totaling $143 million in canceled awards. Termination letters accused grantees of normalizing sexual activity for minors, accusations that program directors say are false. Some letters flagged programs for sharing "advice on making condom use more pleasurable," according to the letters. A federal judge ruled in July 2026 that the legal language HHS used to justify the cancellations is illegal. A coalition of affected grantees from Minnesota and Washington filed a federal lawsuit on July 14.
None of it came with any warning. "There was no runway," said Rhonda Braxton, vice president of health and wellness at Children's Aid, a New York City nonprofit that supported 1,200 young people per year under its now-canceled grant.
This is the second time the Trump administration has tried this approach. Courts ruled the first-term terminations illegal. The outcome should be the same now.
Sign this petition to demand Congress restore Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program funding, reject abstinence-only requirements that contradict the evidence, and hold HHS accountable for illegal grant terminations.
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Petition created on July 30, 2026