May 7, 2008 marks the 7th annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
(Washington, DC) - Hundreds of thousands of teens nationwide are
expected to participate in the seventh annual National Day to Prevent
Teen Pregnancy on May 7, 2008. The purpose of the
National Day is to focus the attention of teens on the importance of
avoiding too-early pregnancy and parenthood through an interactive
online quiz.
On the National Day, teens nationwide are asked
to go to The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned
Pregnancy's new teen website - StayTeen.org
- and take a short, scenario-based quiz (available in English and
Spanish). The quiz challenges young people to consider what they would
do in a number of sexual situations. In addition to the National Day
Quiz, The National Campaign is also offering an online application that
allows teens to add the National Day Quiz to their profiles on websites
like MySpace and Facebook and an online video contest for teens at StayTeen.org.
The
message of the National Day is straightforward: Sex has consequences.
The online quiz delivers this message directly to teens and challenges
them to think carefully about what they might do "in the moment."
Despite
significant reductions in the teen pregnancy and birth rates since the
early 1990s, 30 percent of teen girls become pregnant at least once
before age 20 and the vast majority (82 percent) of teen pregnancies
are unintended.
"After 15 years of steady decline, the teen
birth rate increased slightly between 2005 and 2006," said Sarah Brown,
Chief Executive Officer of The National Campaign. "Clearly a renewed
focus on preventing teen pregnancy is needed and we hope that - in some
modest way - the quiz will help teens think carefully about sex and
contraception, the possibility of pregnancy, and the lifelong
challenges of being a parent."
For general information about the National Day and why it matters, please visit http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/national.
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About the National Campaign:
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is a
nonprofit, nonpartisan initiative supported almost entirely by private
donations. Our mission is to promote values, behavior and policies that
reduce both teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy among young adults.
By increasing the proportion of children born into welcoming, intact
families who are prepared to take on the demanding task of raising the
next generation, our efforts will improve the well-being of children
and strengthen the nation. To find out more, visit http://www.TheNationalCampaign.org.