This week, Baltimore City announced that we will be joining a lawsuit against President Trump, challenging his Administration’s cut in federal funding for evidence-based reproductive health education programs.

In July 2017, the Health Department received notice from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Office of Adolescent Health that the grant period for Baltimore City’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program would be terminated two years early. This amounts to a reduction in overall funding from $8.6 million to $5.1 million – a cut of $3.5 million.

This funding cut will result in reduced access to evidence-based teen pregnancy curricula for 20,000 students in Baltimore, creating a vacuum in critical health education for thousands of vulnerable teens. It eliminates the capacity to train teachers in evidence-based reproductive health education and jeopardizes our Youth Advisory Council—Baltimore City teens who act as peer health advocates.

To us, the funding cut is shocking and unprecedented. Congress approved the funding, and the grant period was supposed to be five years. It is extremely unusual for a grant to be terminated without justification, especially when the funds are available. The funding cut occurs at a time when we have seen tremendous reduction in the teen birth rate—61%—since 2000.

As a doctor and public health official, I have seen how much this grant has helped us in Baltimore. Numerous studies show us that reducing teen births increases the ability of girls to graduate from high school and to have economic stability for themselves and their families. We cannot afford to roll back the gains that have been made, and hurt generations to come.

Yesterday was International Women’s Day. Let us do everything we can to fight for the futures of our girls, women, and families.

Thank you for your partnership.

Leana Wen, M.D., M.Sc.

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