National Campaign Statement on the Birth of Bristol Palin's Son

Michael Rosst
202-478-8507

12/30/2008

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy wishes every success for Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, the newborn son of teenagers Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston. While this is just one of the more than 730,000 teen pregnancies annually in the United States, Bristol Palin's pregnancy has focused national attention on adolescent childbearing. The National Campaign offers these reminders about the continuing challenge of teen pregnancy:

• Three in ten girls become pregnant by age 20.
• The U.S. teen birth rate is on the rise again for the first time in 15 years.
• Teen pregnancy is closely linked to a host of other critical social issues -- poverty and income, overall child well-being, out-of-wedlock births, responsible fatherhood, health issues, education, child welfare, and other risky behavior.

"Getting pregnant and bearing children is one of the most important steps any person takes and we certainly wish Tripp and his family the very best," said Bill Albert, Chief Program Officer of The National Campaign. "We also hope that parents nationwide will take this opportunity to talk to their own children about sex, love, and relationships, as well as the value of delaying pregnancy and childbearing until adulthood."

For more information: Please visit www.TheNationalCampaign.org or call Michael Rosst at 202-478-8507.

About the National Campaign: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization that seeks to improve the lives and future prospects of children and families. Our specific strategy is to prevent teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy among single, young adults. We support a combination of responsible behavior by both men and women and responsible policies in both the public and private sectors.