The Trump administration has dramatically reshaped the federal government's approach to preventing teenage pregnancy, scrapping dozens of long-running grants and replacing them with a programme centred on abstinence, marriage and fertility education. The move has sparked lawsuits, divided health experts and reignited a long-running debate over what type of sex education best protects young people.
Most Teen Pregnancy Grants Have Been Cancelled
The US Department of Health and Human Services recently withdrew or cancelled $67 million (£50 million) in Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programme funding, cutting 53 of the programme's 67 grants.
At the same time, the Office of Population Affairs opened applications for a new round of grants worth just over $63 million (£47 million), with awards expected later this year if approved under the 2027 federal budget.
Unlike previous funding rounds, the new grants prioritise programmes promoting abstinence before marriage, reproductive health awareness and long-term fertility goals.
According to the application guidance, funded organisations must provide medically accurate and age-appropriate education while helping adolescents understand their bodies, make informed health decisions and consider their future reproductive plans.
The administration argues many young Americans lack basic knowledge about hormonal health, fertility and reproductive well-being, claiming this contributes to poorer long-term health outcomes.
The new requirements also stress that programmes should avoid material that promotes sexual activity among minors and should recognise only biological male and female sexes in line with current Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health priorities.
Marriage and Fertility Take Centre Stage
According to the new guidance, applicants are expected to teach abstinence as the only guaranteed way to prevent teenage pregnancy while encouraging marriage and parenthood as meaningful goals in adult life.
The administration's approach reflects ideas associated with restorative reproductive medicine, which focuses on fertility awareness rather than contraception. Supporters argue it helps young people better understand their bodies and identify reproductive health concerns early.
Grace Stark of Natural Womanhood welcomed the changes, saying the programme 'encourages young people of both sexes to consider their reproductive goals now and in the future, and how their current health and lifestyle choices can impact those future goals.'
Critics Say the Changes Ignore Proven Prevention Methods
Several grant recipients have filed lawsuits against the Department of Health and Human Services and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., arguing the changes are driven by ideology rather than science and contradict the original purpose of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programme established by Congress in 2010.
Democracy Forward, one of the organisations involved in the legal challenge, argued that Congress never intended pregnancy prevention funding to focus on helping young women prepare for pregnancy rather than preventing it.
Some organisations also dispute accusations made in their funding termination letters. Rena Dixon, executive director of Fact Forward in South Carolina, rejected claims that her organisation promoted pornography or encouraged teenage sexual activity.
The lawsuits now moving through the courts could determine whether the Trump administration's revised funding model remains in place, setting up another major battle over the future of sex education and reproductive health policy in the United States.
