Everything You Need To Know About the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program

 

The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPPP) is a federal public health initiative that invests in organizations empowering young people with the education and resources they need to make informed decisions about their bodies and lives. It’s evidence-based approach has proven to be extremely successful: since Congress’s bipartisan authorization of the program in 2009, teen pregnancy rates have reached historic lows. Ruth Richardson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, talks to us about the administration’s overhaul of TPPP, the legal fights to challenge it, and the wide-ranging benefits of comprehensive sexuality education. 

The resounding efficacy of this public health investment has made it an ongoing target for the Trump administration. In June 2026, the Department of Health and Human Services abruptly terminated 53 of the 67 nationwide TPPP grants. These funding cuts are depriving young people of science-based sexuality education that is proven to keep them safer and healthier, forcing programs to close, stripping educators of their jobs, and eroding years of communities’ trust. A coalition of organizations and local governments is fighting back in court. In August, a federal judge preliminarily blocked the administration from implementing its proposed changes to impose an unscientific and ideological abstinence-only approach onto grantees.  

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Episode 339 Action Items

Know the power of your voice. Talk openly with your loved ones about the importance of evidence-based comprehensive sexuality education. If you would like some guidance on starting conversations about sex ed and building youth power in your community, Advocates for Youth has a variety of resources for young people and their adult allies.  

When you can, share your personal stories with sex education. Storytelling is a powerful tool to help us feel less alone in our experiences and to unlearn the harmful shame and stigma we are taught to carry, which often have a way of sticking with us long past when they are welcome.  

Call out mis- and disinformation when you see it, which often travels faster than facts. 

Donate to Planned Parenthood — donor support is critical to the work they do, especially in light of the ongoing attacks to their funding. 

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Transcript

Jennie: Welcome to rePROs Fight Back, a podcast on all things related to sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice. [music intro]

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