The support will be especially beneficial to the city of Salem, which witnessed a startling 36 percent increase in the teen birth rate between 2002 and 2003. “In addition to educating teens in our community, reducing teen birth rates means reducing health costs that are largely covered by the tax payer,” pointed out Representative John Keenan. “Three quarters of teenage parents use public benefits and sources for their prenatal and child care. Reducing the teen birth rate is good for our kids and good for the taxpayers.” “Even though Salem’s teen birth rate dropped slightly in 2004, the spike we saw in 2003 is a reminder that new young people become teens every day,” said Patricia Quinn, director for public policy at the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy. “When teens have opportunities for meaningful participation in meeting the challenges of their community, they make positive health choices across the spectrum of healthy behaviors. And they become positive models for other young people around them, creating a ripple effect that extends the reach of prevention programming. The teen pregnancy prevention funding in Salem is used to run a program called the Teen Outreach Program (TOP), which focuses on teen leadership and community service. Programs like TOP promote protective factors and address risk factors that impact multiple behaviors, including substance abuse amongst teens, which is at a higher rate in Salem than the statewide average. “The bottom line is this,” said Representative Keenan, “Teens who are supported by and connected to caring adults in their community make good choices about their future that do not include early parenthood, substance abuse, or violence, and do include education, empowerment, and employment. That's good for them, their families, our taxpayers, and our communities.” When the Commonwealth invested in teen pregnancy prevention programs at its highest levels, in 2002, teen birth rates dropped by as much as 36 percent. From 2002 through 2005, the program was reduced by 82 percent. In last year’s state budget, partial funding was restored to the program, bringing it to within $1 million of its pre-recession level. The passage of the healthcare reform bill appropriates the remaining $1 million and fully restores this important preventive program to its 2002 level. Teenagers seeking more information about help available to teenage parents can contact the Massachusetts Alliance for Teen Pregnancy hotline at 1-800-645-3750 ext. 115.
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