Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Have a fiesta today, not a baby

Every day, more than 2,000 teen girls in the United States get pregnant. In fact, 3 in 10 girls will become pregnant by age 20.

To combat this disturbing trend, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is honoring the ninth annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy TODAY, May 5, 2010. "The purpose of the National Day is to focus the attention of teens on the importance of avoiding too-early pregnancy and parenthood," according to the National Campaign. The campaign features an interactive online quiz for teens to work through awkward social situations.

This year's events come at a particularly important time in the context of teenage risk. After consistent and steady declines beginning in the early 1990s, the nation's teen pregnancy rate rose 3% in 2006, according to recent data from the Guttmacher Institute.

"Clearly a renewed focus on preventing teen pregnancy is needed," said Sarah Brown, Chief Executive Officer of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, organizer of the National Day. "We hope that— in some modest way— participating in the National Day will help teens think carefully about sex and contraception, the possibility of pregnancy, and the lifelong challenges of being a parent."

For more information:
Take the quiz
National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy