Teen Pregnancy Rates Falls to 30 year Low in North Carolina

Council on Adolescents celebrates a statewide victory; North Carolina's teen pregnancy rates hit to a 30 year low in 2008.  New data shows that there were 217 fewer pregnancies in 2007 than 2008.  COA provides teen pregnancy prevention programs throughout Catawba County.  Similar programs are offered by nonprofits throughout the state and these education programs are credited as the primary reason teen girls are making healthy choices about their bodies and decisions about sex.

Keeping these programs strong – and offering them in more communities – is crucial to maintaining a positive trend in our pregnancy rates, said Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina (APPCNC) Executive Director Kay Phillips. “We must not let these programs get lost as state and local dollars get harder and harder to come by.”  Phillips also expressed excitement for the new opportunity presented by the passage of the Healthy Youth Act by the North Carolina General Assembly. The Healthy Youth Act removes restrictions on local school boards that limited the number of evidence-based sexuality education curricula schools could use. 

Read More