Nearly $70 million approved by Congress to fund Teen Pregnancy Prevention programs has been withdrawn by the Trump administration, two years before grants were set to expire.
The Department of Health and Human Services said the TPP grants no longer align with its priorities, and claimed they normalize or promote sexual activity for minors.
New Mexico is one of two dozen states affected by the decision.
Layla Garcia, voice and narrative strategist for Equality New Mexico said newly released grant opportunities completely erase people who identify as LGBTQ.
"They exclude any education with sexual orientation, gender identity, and the sexual health needs of LGBTQ youth, a historically underserved community," Garcia said.
Since 2024, the Trump administration has enacted and proposed numerous policies and executive orders targeting the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender individuals.
Newly announced TPP grant opportunities require applicants to pass a review process to ensure they meet agency priorities.
Nationwide, the teen birth rate has fallen 81% since 1991 and 72% since 2007.
Historically, New Mexico has had a high teen birth rate, but targeted health initiatives show a massive 59% decline in births for ages 15 to 19 from 2010 to 2020.
Garcia said Equality New Mexico plans to work in coalition with other groups to promote legislation that favors strong sexual healthcare education when lawmakers convene for their January session.
"All of these programs that are now being stripped of their funding were proven to be effective in reducing teen pregnancy – to fund programs that are ideologically driven and that are medically inaccurate," Garcia said.
LGBTQ youth face higher risks of teen pregnancy compared to their heterosexual peers, driven by systemic issues such as higher rates of childhood maltreatment, bullying, dating violence and lower access to inclusive sexual health education.
On Wednesday, nearly 80 members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus and the Democratic Caucus demanded reinstatement of the active TPP grants.
