Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., will partner with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy on a new education and outreach initiative aimed at Latino teens and young adults. The launch of the new initiative was announced today at a news conference on Capitol Hill featuring Representative Hilda Solis (D-CA).

“Nearly half of Latinas become pregnant before age 20. High teen pregnancy rates are robbing our young women of too many opportunities – the opportunity to go to college, the opportunity to start a rewarding career, and the opportunity to fulfill their dreams of a better future,” stated Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.

“Unplanned and unprotected sex also poses serious health risks for Latinas. That’s why we welcome the opportunity to work in partnership with Representative Solis and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy on this issue,” continued Murguía.

“The National Campaign has been a key leader in the successful effort to reduce overall teen pregnancy rates in our country. The new Latino initiative will build on this track record of success and zero in on the specific themes, messages, and approaches we need to reach Hispanic young people, especially those overlooked by traditional mainstream efforts,” Murguía said.

“We commend Representative Solis for her passion and leadership on this issue. I can think of no better champion than Hilda Solis to spearhead our efforts on Capitol Hill,” noted Murguía.

“The National Campaign has involved Hispanic community-based organizations and substantive experts at every phase, and on every level, of this campaign. They’re going about this exactly the right way, which gives me great confidence that we can successfully reverse the teen pregnancy crisis in our community,” concluded Murguía.