A year ago President Obama won the 2008 Presidential Election, and in that year a lot has been discussed - one thing in particular that's been raised is how to prevent unintended pregnancies in the United States?
After 14 years of a steady decline in teen pregnancies, the numbers have increased, rising 1.4 percent between 2006 and 2007, and 3.4 percent the year before. These results may have come from a range of factors, but spurred a debate about government funding sex-education in 2009.
In May, President Obama proposed about $164 million for a new pregnancy prevention initiative for teenagers that was not based in abstinence only education.
As a pro-choice woman and a strong advocate for reproductive rights justice in our communities, I believe that a sexual health program that does not promote abstinence as the only way to prevent pregnancy is extremely important. Writer Maire Cocco noted about abstinence only education that "Every sound study of these programs has shown them to have failed at preventing teen sexual activity. Some have indicated that when kids who've been through abstinence-only programs do begin to have sex, they are less likely to use birth control."
So how will Obama's funds be spent? Researching and finding solutions to implement regarding the rate of unintended pregnancies. An example of this type of work includes Masterpiece Research's confidential work in the Central Pennsylvania area - a survey asks about race, age, and other factors along with how unintended pregnancy has changed an individual's life.
Through this work and other initiatives, the Obama administration will hopefully be able to put together an agenda that benefits all young women and gives them equal access to sexual health education and resources.