The teen birth rate increased 1% in 2007, according to a new report from our friends at the National Center for Health Statistics. Close watchers know that this is now the second year in a row that the teen birth rate has increased. The stark reality is this: After 14 years of uninterrupted good news, after the teen birth rate declined an amazing 34% between 1991 and 2005, the teen birth rate has now increased 5% between 2005 and 2007.

Today, we also released a new public opinion survey of adults and teens—With One Voice (lite) 2009. The survey provides some clues on what might help to reverse the recent increases in the teen birth rate. To wit:

• When it comes to teens' decisions about sex, parents are far more influential than they think.
• Adults and teens--by a long shot--view abstinence and contraception as complimentary, not contradictory, strategies.

So there!

If you are looking for additional info, please visit our web portal that has a press release, National Campaign analysis of the increase in both long and short form, a summary of key data, the complete results of the new National Campaign public opinion survey, and other helpful materials.

We really want to hear from you on two important questions:

• Why do you think the teen birth rate is increasing?
• What should be done to reverse the recent unpleasantness?

On March 11, the FDA approved the FC2, a new, less expensive version of the previously approved female condom (FC1).

In spite of stigma surrounding this method, the International Women's Health Coalition has noted a great deal of demand for female condoms in their experiences working to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa, as outlined in their recent video "Female Condoms: Demand and Distribution." According to the video, a primary deterrent for use of the female condom in Africa has been its cost and, in part as a result of cost, lack of availability.

Considering that the female condom is currently the only form of contraception designed for use by women that protects against both unintended pregnancy and HIV infection, making it more financially accessible is certainly a step in the right direction. Here's hoping governments and health advocates in the U.S. and abroad can leverage this development to provide women and couples with more options to protect themselves against infection and unintended pregnancy.

Crash and Yasmin of mun2 explain the difference between getting pregnant and getting "knocked up" and share their thoughts on other pregnancy-related topics such as celebrity babies, teen and unplanned pregnancy, in vitro fertilization, and single parenthood, all in their own, special way. They're not exactly all-PC-all-the-time, but they are right on about some very important points.

To Name a Few:

• When it comes to pregnancy, planning is important.
• It's easier to get pregnant than you think (illustrated with a highly scientific visual aid!).
• Early parenthood can be hard on a relationship: (ie. "Seriously, learn to enjoy each other first before adding another human being to the mix").
• Parenthood is a serious commitment that requires maturity and "moolah."

Bonuses include the "pie chart of truth," a clip from an episode of their previous show, The Chicas Project, and advice for a fan. Excelente. Check out the video here.

So Bristol Palin and Levi Johnson have called off their engagement and broken up.

Let's put aside all the hubbub that has surrounded this story since the beginning -- the Red State/Blue State sniping, the I-told-you-so's about abstinence-only education, the small-minded jabs about small-town residents, and the fairy tale fantasies about happily ever after -- and think about what happens to the vast majority of teen parents and their children:

At the time of their child's birth, more than half of unmarried teen mothers say they are either "certain" or chances are "good" they will marry the biological father of their baby.   However, in 8 out of 10 cases, it doesn't happen.

This means the majority of children born to teens grow up separate from their fathers - which often leads to a lifetime of challenges and hardship.  Children who grow up in father-absent families are five times more likely to be poor than kids in two-parent families. They have double the risk of physical and emotional neglect and they are twice as likely to drop out of school. They are more likely to smoke, use drugs, and become obese. Boys have significantly higher odds of incarceration and girls are much more likely to become teen moms themselves.  Incidentally, the teen parents who do get married don't often stay married - marriages among teens are twice as likely to fail as marriages in which the woman is 25 or older.

Being a teenager is hard. Being a teenager with a broken heart is exceptionally hard. Being a teenager who is also a single parent is even harder than that. And being the child of that parent is probably the hardest thing of all.

So whether you are Team Bristol or one of those who hopes Levi lands his own reality show or someone who just wishes this story would go away already, say a prayer for young Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, who is not yet 3 months old, and keep in mind what Bristol herself has said, "I think everyone should just wait ten years. ... Because it's so much easier if you're married and if you have a house and a career. ... I hope that people learn from my story and ... prevent teen pregnancy."

Today, President Obama signed the FY 2009 omnibus appropriations act, which included a long overdue fix to a law passed more than two years ago that made the price of birth control skyrocket across the country.

In nerdspeak, an unintended consequence of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 altered the Nominal Pricing Exception, excluding university health centers and safety net clinics from a program that allowed them to purchase deeply discounted drugs - including oral contraceptives - from pharmaceutical companies. In plain English, Congress made a mistake, the price of birth control went up 900% for some college students and low-income women, and it stinks to have to choose between buying groceries for your kids and being faced with an unplanned pregnancy.

We know that access to affordable contraception is a key piece of helping women and families prevent and plan their pregnancies, and we applaud Congress and the President for checking this off the nation's To Do List.