When asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton famously replied: "That's where the money is." Which brings us to community colleges...

As regular readers of this blog are surely aware, fully half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned. Among single women in their 20s the rate is even higher--fully seven in 10 pregnancies among single 20-somethings are unplanned. Moreover, the rates of teen pregnancy and childbearing are highest among older teens (those age 18-19).

Take the high rate of unplanned pregnancy among young adults and consider this: there are about 11.5 million students in community colleges, representing nearly half (46%) of all undergraduate students in America.

Starting to get the Willie Sutton drift?

On July 23rd, I had the opportunity to attend an historic event: a press conference at which people with very different views about abortion worked together rather than against each other. The occasion was the introduction of the Preventing Unintended Pregnancies, Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act authored by two bold leaders, Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Tim Ryan (D-OH) - one pro-choice and one pro-life. As Amy Sullivan of TIME put it, "The volume in the abortion debate has been stuck at rancorous screaming for so long that when it gets turned down, it's disorienting, like walking outside after a rock concert and trying to hear again."

As an organization dedicated to reducing teen and unplanned pregnancy, and with respect for deeply-held views about difficult issues, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy applauds this bill as a comprehensive, balanced approach to reduce the need for abortion by both helping to prevent unplanned pregnancy in the first place and supporting women and families once pregnancy occurs.

Community colleges are known to some as the red-headed step-child of higher education. NBC is even playing the association to its advantage with its new series coming this fall, Community. But the fact is that community colleges have played a critical role in the U.S., serving 11.5 million students and almost half of all undergrads across the country.

Although community colleges are seeing an increase in student enrollment, that doesn't necessarily mean there's an increase in the graduation rate. As David Brooks notes in his recent op-ed, No Size Fits All, about half of community college students fail to earn a degree. Recognizing the important role that student services play in students' success, last week President Obama announced the American Graduation Initiative, which gives schools the funding they need to offer their students "wrap-around services."