2022 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 87
BY SENATOR MIZELL
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to enact policies to assist
adolescents after giving birth in hospitals.
WHEREAS, the United States has a higher teenage pregnancy and teenage birth rate
than other developed nations; and
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Louisiana
women between the ages of fifteen and nineteen are having children at a rate of thirty or
more per one thousand; and
WHEREAS, teen pregnancy may be by choice, or the result of sexual abuse, or being
a victim of sexual trafficking; and
WHEREAS, the CDC reports that teen births contribute to greater high school
drop-out rates, and social determinants of health in communities and families may contribute
to high teen birth rates, including low education, low income levels, and an inability to
access reproductive services; and
WHEREAS, the Maternal and Child Health Journal reported in 2009 that children
born to teenage mothers are at a greater risk for low birth rates, cognitive delays, lower IQ
scores, and a higher body mass index; and
WHEREAS, the American Academy of Pediatrics reports that teenage mothers, on
average, are impoverished, experience lower levels of education, and have lower rates of
labor force participation; and
WHEREAS, children of teenage mothers are more likely to experience maltreatment
and foster care prior to their first birthday, and are more likely to engage in risky behaviors
when they are older; and
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WHEREAS, adolescents reporting to hospitals to give birth should be contacted by
the Louisiana Department of Health to assess what services the new mother and child may
require to prevent maltreatment, lower levels of education, and lower labor force
participation by the new mother, and decrease the potential for developmental delays of the
child.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to enact policies to assist
adolescents after giving birth in hospitals.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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