STATEMENT: 5th Circuit Ruling Will Almost Certainly Lead to More Teen Pregnancies, Says CAP’s Sabrina Talukder

Washington, D.C. — Today, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling in Deanda v. Becerra rejecting legal precedent by holding that minors obtaining birth control under Title X without parental consent are in violation of Texas state law. Following the ruling, Sabrina Talukder, director of the Women’s Initiative at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:

If upheld, today’s ruling strips youth of their sexual and reproductive autonomy and will almost certainly lead to more teen pregnancies in Texas—a state with some of the most restrictive sex education and abortion laws and, consequently, some of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country. For decades, minors in states across the country have been able to confidentially access basic reproductive health care needs such as birth control through the Title X family planning program. This ruling turns long-standing precedent on its head. Patients—not activist judges—should be making decisions about their health care needs.

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