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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Teen pregnancy is a serious and costly issue in the |
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state and nation, forever changing the lives of the young women and |
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men who experience this unplanned event; and |
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WHEREAS, Adolescent childbearing is linked to a host of |
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public health and social challenges; girls facing unplanned |
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pregnancy are less likely to access prenatal care, and as a |
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consequence are at an increased risk of delivering premature |
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infants and infants with low birth weight; teen mothers are also |
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more likely to drop out of high school and to experience poverty, |
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and their children more often suffer from economic, medical, and |
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behavioral problems compared to children of older parents; and |
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WHEREAS, On May 1, 2013, hundreds of thousands of teens |
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throughout the country are participating in the National Day to |
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Prevent Teen Pregnancy, a collaborative effort between the National |
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Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and numerous |
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educators, health sector leaders, elected officials, faith-based |
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groups, and other prominent organizations; the National Day has |
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proven a success year after year in challenging adolescents to |
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think about the consequences of engaging in sexual relations and to |
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make positive choices about their futures; and |
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WHEREAS, Although the teen birth rate has been declining in |
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recent years, Texas still has one of the highest teen pregnancy |
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rates in the nation, with a cost to taxpayers of more than $1 |
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billion a year, and the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy |
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provides means of addressing this matter of critical importance; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize May 1, 2013, as the National Day to |
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Prevent Teen Pregnancy and encourage Texans to participate in |
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related events and learn more about the facts associated with |
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adolescent pregnancy. |