Contact: By: Congressman Mike Castle

Washington | May 5, 2010 - This month, more than 200 national organizations in the health, entertainment, education, faith and media fields, and nearly 30 state and local organizations are partnering to promote and support the 9th annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. I have been a proponent of this national awareness effort since the start of the campaign in 1996 and I am pleased to be among the sponsors of a Congressional Resolution, which renews the national effort to prevent teen pregnancy by supporting the goals of the National Day and encouraging teens to log-on and take the National Day Quiz.

Unfortunately, after more than a decade of significant decline, teen pregnancy rates are again on the rise. According to data released earlier this year by the Guttmacher Institute, the U.S. teen pregnancy rate increased 3 percent between 2006 and 2007 – the first increase since 1990. This stands in stark contrast to a 41 percent decrease between 1990 and 2005. Delaware's teen pregnancy rate remains higher than the national average. It is clear that a renewed focus on preventing teen pregnancy is needed.

Today, three in ten women under the age of 20 will become pregnant, with Latina, African American, and Native American girls disproportionally affected. Teen pregnancy can have long-term negative effects on both mother and child. Less than half of mothers who have a child before they turn 18 ever graduate from high school, for example, and children of unmarried teen parents who have not completed high school, are nine times more likely to grow up in poverty.

The public costs associated with adolescent childbearing are substantial, costing taxpayers billions of dollars every year as a result of negative social and health outcomes for the children of teen parents. Between 1991 and 2004, there have were more than 18,600 teen births in Delaware, costing taxpayers an estimated $0.5 billion over that period, according to an analysis from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. But we know that reducing teen pregnancy generates savings, and in fact the decline in the teen birth rate between 1991 and 2004 saved taxpayers $6.7 billion in 2004 alone.

I urge all teens to log onto http://www.stayteen.org and take the online quiz, which is designed to help teens think about how they would handle a risky situation is before they're in it – it helps them think carefully about sex and waiting, the possibility of pregnancy, and the lifelong challenges of being a parent. I believe taking the quiz will empower Delaware teens to make a personal commitment to avoiding pregnancy, and I hope teens who are reading this article will take the quiz and encourage their friends to do the same.

For more information about teen and unplanned pregnancy, including state specific information, and resources for parents and teens, go to http://www.thenationalcampaign.org.