Study Shows Teen Pregnancy Costs State Taxpayers $312,000,000 Annually
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina
www.appcnc.org
For Immediate Release 10/30/06
An Ounce of (Teen Pregnancy) Prevention is Worth $312 Million in North Carolina
Study Shows Teen Pregnancy Costs State Taxpayers $312,000,000 Annually
CHAPEL HILL – The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy released the results of a study on Monday that calculates the cost of teen pregnancy in North Carolina as $312 million annually. However, the State of North Carolina spends only $2.5 million each year to prevent adolescent pregnancies across the State. “Clearly there is a need to use our tax dollars more efficiently,” said Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina (APPCNC) Executive Director Kay Phillips, “We must make teen pregnancy prevention a priority in the state of North Carolina, saving our youth and our money.”
The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina’s goals include:
- Increasing the amount of funding devoted to teen pregnancy prevention and teen parenting programs across North Carolina and ensuring that this funding is a protected item in the state budget
- Increasing the number and capacity of teen pregnancy prevention and teen parenting programs through the state through the use of science based practices and proven curriculum
- Continuing to advance the decline of rates of teen pregnancy across North Carolina.
The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina works to accomplish these goals through training, support and resources available at low or no-cost to health workers, parents and anyone who works with teens. APPCNC has been working in the state since 1985, and is committed to ending teen pregnancy in North Carolina.
According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, most of the public sector costs of teen childbearing are associated with negative consequences for the children of teen mothers. In North Carolina in 2004, annual taxpayer costs associated with children born to teen mothers included: $54 million for public health care; $36 million for child welfare; $61 million for incarceration; and $105 million in lost tax revenue due to decreased earnings over the children’s career. There are also costs and savings associated with teen mothers and fathers of their children which are factored into the $312 million total.
For more information on this study and the costs of teen pregnancy, visit the National Campaign’s By the Numbers website at www.teenpregnancy.org/costs for a fact sheet detailing teen childbearing costs in North Carolina and other states as well as the national By the Numbers report or contact APPCNC at (919) 932-9885.
APPCNC is a non-profit organization that partners with communities in North Carolina to prevent teen pregnancy through Advocacy, Collaboration and Education (ACE). APPCNC has been recognized nationally for its innovative work in the area of teen pregnancy prevention and provides services in all 100 North Carolina counties.
Contact: Kay Phillips, Executive Director
Office phone: 919-932-9885 x29
Email: kphillips@appcnc.org
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