ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH

Congress to Deny Millions of Teens Emergency Contraception

Conservative Amendment Jeopardizes Health of American Young People

WASHINGTON, DC (September 20, 2000) Advocates for Youth's President, James Wagoner, today condemns as "misguided and dangerous" a conservative motion by Rep. Tom Coburn (R-OK) that prohibits federal funding for emergency contraception provided to teens in a school-based health clinic.

Wagoner calls on politicians to stop putting their political agendas above the health and well-being of American young people. "Emergency contraception is just that –contraception. Deliberately misleading the American public by confusing emergency contraception with abortion will not help American teens," said Wagoner. "It's ironic that by restricting federal funding for emergency contraception, the very politicians who oppose abortion are passing laws that make abortion more likely," said Wagoner.

Rep. Coburn's motion to instruct House conferees for the FY 2001 Labor, HHS appropriations bill resurrected a conservative provision first offered by Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) and rejected by the Senate/House conference. Yesterday, the House passed the Coburn motion by a 250-170 vote.

"The Congressional leadership is sending the wrong message to our young people. Each year in the U.S. more than 800,000 teens become pregnant. With 75% of the recent decrease in pregnancy rates among sexually experienced teens due to increased use of contraception, denying them access to contraception jeopardizes more than a decade of progress," said Wagoner.

Emergency contraception can be used to prevent pregnancy after having unprotected sex or if a method of birth control fails. Emergency contraception does not terminate an already established pregnancy.

"Almost 90% of the teen pregnancies each year are unintended and approximately 40% end in abortion. Rep. Coburn's motion will not deter teens from having sex, but it will ensure that we have more teen pregnancies and more abortions," said Wagoner. "This misguided prohibition is contrary to the national goal of reducing unintended pregnancy and is harmful to teens," concluded Wagoner.

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Note to Editors and Producers: For more information or to set up an interview with adolescent sexuality experts, please contact Bill Barker at (202) 419-3420.

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