Access to Contraceptives for Adolescents

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Child Custody Protection Act

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Access to Contraceptives for Adolescents

What's New
The Bush Administration and a conservative faction in Congress are attempting to pour more resources into unproven and harmful abstinence-only-until-marriage education for young people. These programs censor information about contraception and its benefits in preventing unwanted pregnancy and sexually-transmissible infections, including HIV/AIDS.
>>Learn more, http://www.nonewmoney.org/

Providing adolescents with access to contraceptives can significantly reduce the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Since its inception in 1970, Title X funding has provided family planning services to adolescents. In 1978, Congress amended Title X to place "a special emphasis on preventing unwanted pregnancies among sexually active adolescents," adding services specifically for teenagers. Unfortunately the Bush Administration and conservative Republicans are currently pushing an abstinenece-only agenda and threatening to regulate minors' rights to access contraception through the Title X program. A recent study out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee found that nearly 60% of sexually active girls under the age of 18 would stop seeking reproductive health services if their parents knew they were trying to get contraceptives.

On July 11, 2002 the House Committee on Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Health held a hearing on the issue of a "Parent's Right to Know" which addressed whether a parent should be denied information when a minor they are legally responsible for is permitted access to contraceptives. Currently Title X regulations prohibit health care providers from informing parents of their child's action to seek contraceptives. This hearing was a step in an effort to regulate minor's rights to accessing contraception.

For more information, see:

Factsheet: Title X Family Planning: A Commitment to Reproductive Health

Factsheet: Forced Parental Involvement Defeats the Goals of Title X Family Planning

Factsheet: Parental Consent and Notice for Contraceptives Threatens Teen Health and Constitutional Rights