Teen Pregnancy Remains an Urgent Challenge; May 4th is 15th Annual National Day

(Washington, DC)—Despite historic national declines, 85% of adults view teen pregnancy as an important issue (55% say very important) compared to other social and economic challenges in their community, according to a new nationally representative survey commissioned and released today by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. In addition, nearly seven in 10 adults overall (66%) believe more efforts to prevent teen pregnancy are needed in their community.

“The public clearly understands that progress should not be mistaken for victory,” said Ginny Ehrlich, CEO of The National Campaign. “Despite extraordinary declines in teen pregnancy and childbearing, nearly one in four teens still get pregnant by age 20 and progress remains uneven. As The National Campaign celebrates its 20^th anniversary, we stand ready to take on the challenges that remain and ensure that young people have the support they need to determine when, if and under what circumstances to get pregnant.”

May is recognized as National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month. On May 4—the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy—and throughout the month of May, teens are encouraged to visit StayTeen.org to take an interactive, online challenge. Last year, more than 600,000 participated. The purpose of the National Day is straightforward: too many teens still leave pregnancy prevention to chance. The National Day challenge helps teens understand that making active decisions about preventing pregnancy is a part of taking charge of their futures.