Applaud the Court for Protecting Teen Health

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s effort to overhaul the federal Teen Pregnancy Prevention program after the Department of Health and Human Services abruptly canceled 53 grants worth roughly $67 million and imposed new requirements emphasizing abstinence and “body literacy.”

The Teen Pregnancy Prevention program exists to help young people make informed decisions, reduce unintended pregnancies, and prevent sexually transmitted infections. Judge Cooper found that the administration’s new requirements likely went beyond what Congress intended and were imposed without adequate explanation.

Federal agencies can set policy priorities, but they still have to follow the law. They shouldn’t be able to disregard congressional requirements or abruptly upend established public health programs simply to advance an ideological agenda.

While the ruling does not reinstate the grants that were already canceled, it prevents the administration from moving forward with its new policy while the lawsuit continues—and represents an important victory for medically accurate, evidence-based health education.

Young people should have the information they need to make healthy decisions about their bodies and their futures. Public health programs should be shaped by evidence and expertise, not politics.

Add your name to applaud Judge Christopher Cooper for defending evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention, protecting access to medically accurate health information, and holding the Trump administration accountable to the law.