HHS Cuts Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grants Over Explicit Content
Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) informed over 50 organizations, particularly those involved in family planning, that it would be cutting off grants aimed at preventing teen pregnancies. This decision stems from concerns that these organizations were promoting “explicit” content to young people.
The Office of Population Affairs, part of the Assistant Secretary for Health, distributes grants to organizations working on teen pregnancy prevention or developing related curricula. However, HHS identified that many organizations were using materials that they deemed inappropriate. Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell highlighted the issue, noting that some programs violated laws by being “medically inaccurate,” “age-inappropriate,” and “sexually explicit.”
According to the termination letter, “After reviewing all curriculum content, OASH believes that some of the curriculum is age-inappropriate because it normalizes youth sexual activity and contains excessively sexually explicit and pornographic content that is not necessary to accomplish the statutory mission of the TPP program.” The letter also mentioned adjustments to the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program to better allocate resources.
Letters notifying recipients about the grant terminations were sent to various organizations, including Family Planning California Central Coast, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and the Baltimore City Health Department, among others.
In total, HHS terminated approximately $67 million in grants, affecting 53 out of 67 awarded during the Biden administration. Reports indicated that some recipients were using materials that seemed to encourage sexual activity.
For instance, the Maryland Department of Health incorporated a role-playing scenario where two boys discussed condom use to prevent HIV transmission; they did not comment by the time of publication. Additionally, Family Planning California Central Coast utilized a curriculum known as Love Notes, which allegedly included various forms of pornography. It’s noted that celebrities endorsed in the report revealed exposure to abusive pornography starting as early as age 11, escalating by age 14.
Planned Parenthood California Central Coast also reportedly did not respond to HHS’s inquiries.
Alongside the grant terminations, HHS has introduced two new grant opportunities focusing on body literacy, steering clear of “gender ideology,” abortion, and contraception. These new grants are designed to support programming that avoids content deemed obscene or sexually explicit, especially regarding minors’ sexual activity.
