Last week, I shared my thoughts on a teen pregnancy prevention campaign launched by the Department of Social Services of the New York City Human Resources Administration called “Think Being a Teen Parent Won’t Cost You?” . A few days later, I met with some amazing women here in New York City, as members of the New York Coalition for Reproductive Justice . We spent overly 2 hours venting our frustrations, brainstorming ideas, and coming up with demands and solutions that will help (and not harm) teen mothers living and parenting in New York City.

As I mentioned last week, there is nothing wrong with getting teens to think about what they could potentially face if they were to become a young parent, but it should not be at the cost of shaming, blaming and stigmatizing their peers who have chosen to parent.

Based on that amazing evening of frustration, strategy, and insight, we have decided to launch the No Stigma! No Shame! campaign. Read our letter and sign on to show your support for our campaign. (The sign on information is included after the letter!) (more…)

The New York City Human Resources Administration recently launched “Think Being a Teen Parent Won’t Cost You?”, a teen pregnancy prevention campaign aimed to curb the rates of teen pregnancy in New York City. My initial reaction to the ad campaign, was “Wasn’t there a new report announced last month that teen pregnancy rates in New York City has fallen considerably? Are these ads in connection with that, in order to decrease the rates even more? Also, why is this campaign developed by the Human Resources Administration and not, say, the Department of Health, especially given the difficulties many households in New York City have in even accessing resources from the HRA?”

According to the New York City Office of the Mayor, more than 20,000 teens in New York City become pregnant each year. While this sounds like a lot, the New York City Department of Health recently released data showing that teen pregnancy rates have steadily declined by 27% over the last 10 years. A key reason? Access to condoms, birth control, and emergency contraception. The city has recognized the steep cost of gaining access to birth control, and by increasing access to birth control in schools (and instituting a mandated comprehensive sex education curriculum) teens are more likely to utilize birth control options. Another key reason for the decline of the teen pregnancy rate in New York City: Support from New York City parents.

So, why does “Think Being a Teen Parent Won’t Cost You?” have the potential to impede the efforts the city has made with reducing teen pregnancy rates? (more…)