NEW Call for Proposals for Healthy Teen Network's 2013 Conference Now Open!
 
We invite proposals to present at our 34th Annual National Conference, Embracing Innovation: Combining Science with Creativity to Improve Adolescent Health. The conference celebrates “Embracing Innovation” to address adolescent sexual and reproductive health and the needs of parenting teens. Healthy Teen Network will showcase innovative strategies and research focused on adolescent sexual health, pregnant and parenting teens, and building the capacity of youth-serving organizations to sustain themselves for years to come. Helping youth make healthy, responsible decisions about how they live out their sexuality and care for their families requires examining the aspects of their lives that impact how they make those choices. Deadline for proposals is March 15, 2013.

NEW Healthy Teen Network Releases Public Policy Recommendations for 2013

The Healthy Teen Network board of directors recently approved the organization's public policy platform for 2013. Healthy Teen Network’s public policy recommendations are organized under the themes of health promotion, teen pregnancy, and young family support. Specific recommendations include support for a robust federal budget, preservation of Medicaid and investments in teen pregnancy prevention programs, and policy changes to ensure pregnant and parenting student access to education. Healthy Teen Network has intentionally kept this publication brief and encourages our members and allies to distribute it to their Members of Congress and within their professional networks. Contact Senior Policy Analyst Bob Reeg (bob[at]healthyteennetwork[dot]org) with questions or comments. 

A Tremendous Loss for Our Field

It is with a heavy heart that Healthy Teen Network shares the news that our respected colleague, Douglas Kirby, PhD, passed away Saturday, December 22, 2012. Doug was a Senior Research Scientist at ETR Associates in Scotts Valley, California, and an internationally renowned expert on adolescent sexuality and reproductive health and evidence-based programs. For more than 30 years, he directed studies of adolescent sexual behavior, sexuality and HIV education programs, school-based clinics, school condom-availability programs, and youth development programs. To read more about Doug's life and work, please visit Under the Currents.

Healthy Teen Network's Conference A Great Success

Thanks to all who participated in Healthy Teen Network's 33^rd Annual Conference, The Power of Youth: Joining Forces to Achieve Positive Outcomes. Hundreds of professionals who work on behalf of adolescents and their children to reduce teen pregnancy, promote positive decisions regarding sexuality and reproductive issues, ensure healthy pregnancies, and support teen parents to raise healthy children convened at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis to learn, share information, network, and renew enthusiasm for the vital work they do. Conference attendees and members can now download conference materials in the Members Only section.

U.S. Teen Pregnancy Rate Shows Dramatic Decline

The U.S. teen pregnancy rate reached its lowest level in more than 30 years, according to a report, U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions, 2008: National Trends by Age, Race and Ethnicity, released today by the Guttmacher Institute. From its peak in 1990—when nearly 117 teens per 1,000 became pregnant—to 2008, the rate decreased by 42% (to 67.8 per 1,000). Among women younger than 15, the pregnancy rate fell even more in that period, with a decrease of 62%, from 17.5 to 6.6 per 1,000.

According to the report, “the pregnancy rate among sexually experienced teenagers has fallen 29% since 1990.” Other recent research cited in Guttmacher’s report supports the idea that the decline in the pregnancy rates starting in the mid-‘90s can be attributed to increased contraceptive use by teens. Healthy Teen Network has released this statement.  

NEW Failure to Increase Access to Emergency Contraception a Failure for All

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius failed to accept the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendation to make Plan B One-Step emergency contraception available without a prescription for people under 17. Emergency contraception will continue to be available for women under 17 with a prescription, and behind the counter, once age is verified, for those 17 and older.

This decision appears to be politically motivated rather than based in science and research. The FDA had been expected to approve over-the-counter availability of Plan B One-Step, without an age restriction, based on its thorough and careful review of the data on usage. However, Sebelius, in an unprecedented action, overrode the FDA’s recommendation.

“We are surprised and disappointed in Sebelius’ unfounded decision. The Obama administration’s previous commitment to science has been a positive force in the field of adolescent sexual and reproductive health,” says Dr. Pat Paluzzi, President/CEO of Healthy Teen Network. “This decision, however, indicates a move away from science as a measured means of forming policy and programs.” Read more...