Comprehensive sexual education reduces teen pregnancies and ensures that young people’s rights to essential health information are met. Policies that prohibit references to equity, gender identity, and sexual orientation fail to acknowledge the individualized needs of youth, for whom one-size-fits-all approaches are ineffective. They can also lead to stigma and discrimination against LGBTQ+ youth. Teen pregnancies are disproportionately higher among historically marginalized populations and are shaped by a range of factors, including poverty, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and limited access to education and healthcare. Programming that restricts evidence-based and inclusive practices may widen disparities, weaken public health outcomes, and leave vulnerable youth without the information and tools they need to make healthy decisions.
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An internal instruction issued by a government agency outlining policies, procedures, or actions to be followed by agency employees. While not legally binding outside the agency, these directives guide agency operations and decision-making.
Who It Impacts: Employees and divisions within the issuing federal agency. These directives guide how staff enforce regulations, allocate resources, and interpret laws. They may also affect industries regulated by the agency.
Who Is Not Impacted: The general public and businesses are not directly bound by agency directives, though these policies may indirectly influence enforcement practices that affect them.
Summary
In July 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued new guidance for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPPP). The guidance states, “Federal funds may not be used to indoctrinate America’s children with radical ideologies or other inappropriate material.” The policy prohibits TPPP materials from including references to gender identity, LGBTQIA+ topics, and “anti-American ideologies”, such as equity in sexual education programming. It also asserts a “parents’ right to protect their children from content that undermines religious beliefs .” It requires parents to have the option to opt their child out of programming that may conflict with their religious beliefs.
Impact Analysis
Legal Challenges
N/A
Take Institutional Action
- Healthcare providers should provide timely, supportive, culturally competent, and inclusive reproductive and sex education to their adolescent patients.
- Healthcare systems should implement cultural competency training to ensure sex education for adolescent patients is inclusive and responsive to the unique needs and experiences of young people.
- Healthcare providers should inform caregivers and family members of the benefits of comprehensive sex education.
- Public health institutions should collect and report data on the impact of restrictive policies, particularly regarding health disparities among marginalized groups
Associated or Derivative Policies
Executive Order 14168 Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government
Executive Order 14190 Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling
Executive Order 14187 Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation
Executive Order 14151 Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing
Policy Prior to 2025
About the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program: HHS TPPP Overview (https://opa.hhs.gov/grant-programs/teen-pregnancy-prevention-program/about-tpp-program)
Additional Resources
- https://health.gov/news/hhs-issues-policy-stop-radical-indoctrination-children-and-ensure-parental-oversight-teen
- https://texasscorecard.com/federal/hhs-halts-gender-ideology-funding-in-teen-pregnancy-prevention-program/
- https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/opa-eval-tier-2b-programs-oct-2021.pdf
- https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/sex-education
- https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304896
- https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/teen-pregnancy-prevention-program-right-track-now-s-being-dismantled
