Last week, the Center for Investigative Reporting's Reveal broke the news that the Trump administration had "quietly axed" a hefty $213.6 million in grants for teen pregnancy prevention and research at dozens of institutions across the country. The move to cut grants for teen pregnancy prevention programs, which could almost unavoidably cost taxpayers billions down the road, apparently preceded (or at least happened alongside) development and passage of a budget plan by the related House appropriations subcommittee, which seeks to cut spending on teen pregnancy prevention itself. Under this administration, it added, the HHS' Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program "had two strikes against it: Former President Barack Obama started it, and social conservatives don’t want to give teens access to birth control." Because of the federal Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program's (TPP) evidence-based approach, Fey said, her group has been an outspoken supporter of the program from the get-go, even during the five years before they themselves became grantees. "Since the TPP began in 2010, teen pregnancy rates have declined 41% in six years, more than double the rate of decline in any other six year period.

Source: Forbes July 18, 2017 21:43 UTC