Teen pregnancy continues to be a critical issue affecting both teenagers and communities across the world. It is imperative that we prioritize the health, education, and future of our young people by increasing funding and support for teen pregnancy support programs and legislation.

In the United States, the teen birth rate is 17.4 per 1,000 females ages 15-19, a stark reminder of the challenge at hand (source: CDC). Without adequate support, teen parents often face significant hurdles, including interrupted education, limited career prospects, and higher risks of poverty. These challenges are not only personal but also impact our communities economically and socially.

Furthermore, over 30% of teen girls who have dropped out of school cite early pregnancy as the main reason for their disenrollment. By enhancing programs that provide comprehensive sex education, healthcare access, and parenting resources, we can drastically improve these statistics.

Supportive legislation plays a crucial role in ensuring these programs are well-funded and effective. Such legislation should focus on not only reducing the incidence of teenage pregnancies but also equipping teen parents with the tools and resources they need to succeed.

Countries like Canada and the Netherlands show us that well-implemented programs can result in drastically lower rates of teen pregnancies. By studying these models, we can adopt similar strategies tailored to our diverse communities.

Therefore, this petition calls on lawmakers and community leaders to increase funding for programs that support teen pregnancy prevention and assistance for teenage parents. Our youth deserve the chance to thrive without the overwhelming burden of early parenthood. By signing this petition, you are helping to create pathways for a brighter future for these young people and ultimately for the community as a whole. Please join us in making this change a reality by supporting the following educational rights and protections, health and social support services, federal prevention and support funding, and key legal rights:

• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Federal): Prohibits sex discrimination, including pregnancy and parental status, in all federally funded educational programs. Schools cannot exclude pregnant students, force them to change schools, or dock grades for absences related to pregnancy/childbirth.
• Pregnant and Parenting Students Access to Education Act: A model framework often adopted to require schools to provide academic supports, childcare access, and nursing rooms for lactating students.
• California Specific Protections: Schools must provide a private, clean space for lactating students to pump milk and must permit up to 10 days of parental leave for new parents.
• Adolescent Family Life Program (AFLP): A California initiative providing comprehensive, case-managed support to pregnant/parenting teens (aged 18 or younger) and their children, focusing on health, counseling, and education.
• Second Chance Homes: Supported under welfare reform laws, these offer group homes or supervised settings for teen parents under 18 who cannot live at home, providing parenting education and stability.
• Confidential Health Access: In many states, including California, minors have the right to consent to medical care related to pregnancy, prenatal care, and delivery without parental consent.
• Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program: A $101 million annual federal program providing grants to replicate evidence-based programs aimed at reducing unintended pregnancies and providing supportive services to teens.
• Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP): Provides federal funding to states for educating teens on both abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancy and STIs.
• Supporting Foster Youth in Successful Parenting Act: Proposed federal legislation aimed specifically at reducing high rates of pregnancy among youth in foster care and supporting those who are already parents.
• Minor Pregnancy Rights: Teens have the right to decide whether to parent, place the baby for adoption, or seek an abortion without parental consent in many jurisdictions. 
• Financial Support: Minors have the right to seek child support from the father.