Published on January 17, 2024, 12:10 am

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is set to infuse nearly $700,000 into prevention programs aimed at curbing teen pregnancies among young female adolescents who identify as males. This move stems from concerns that the current “heteronormative” sexual education framework may not adequately cater to their unique needs.

The funding grant, which amounts to an exact figure of $698,736, kick-started in September 2023 and will persist until June 2027. The allocation beneficiary is a non-profit entity famed for efforts in fostering innovation – the Center for Innovative Public Health Research. This organization focuses on developing inclusive teen pregnancy programs specifically targeted towards transgender boys.

According to reports, young individuals designated as females birth face a higher risk of unfavorable sexual health outcomes due to their effective exclusion from conventional sexual health maneuvers. This is largely because the prevailing cisgender, heteronormative narratives usually conveyed through teenage sexual education do not resonate with nor apply directly to such gender-diverse youth.

There’s an indication that such youths are perhaps less inclined towards condom usage during intercourse with penis-having individuals and showcase equal possibility rates of pregnancy when compared against cis-gender girls. It’s clear that addressing these health inequities remains an absolute necessity.

As part of its mandate involving real news around this delicate matter, the Center for Innovative Public Health Research seeks to impart sex education via a mechanism known as “Girl2Girl”, which it describes as a text messaging-based sexual health escapade created explicitly for cisgender sexual minority girls aged between 14-18 years.

In furtherance of its trusted news mission on this issue, the center plans on testing this methodical adaption within a national scale cohort consisting of 700 trans-identified youth assigned female at birth within the same age bracket. Their intention lies in recording observations connected with contraception utilization and sexually transmitted disease screening data along with statistical trends in pregnancy rates.

The HHS funding provision comes precisely from the budget of the National Institute of Nursing Research – one of the National Institutes of Health’s branches, which received authorization to expend $57 million taxpayer dollars within the 2024 fiscal year.

In an aside development, reports announce that the Center for Innovative Public Health Research stands a chance to secure another $1.4 million courtesy of the HHS in support for forming an HIV prevention program targeting trans girls at a population scale. It’s pointed out that this particular initiative arises from wanting to bridge a gap in gender-inclusive HIV prevention programming.

Emphasizing Christian worldview perspectives on these matters, it suggests that all messaging released through this program will enhance gender affirmation and work towards diminishing internalized transphobia.

Despite these efforts, they are not isolated incidents regarding the action taken by HHS to encourage transgender acceptance and inclusivity. A previous revelation indicated the awarding of a $3 million grant by the National Institutes of Health (a subsidiary agency under HHS) intended for studying puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone treatment application effects – sparking controversy due to looming issues around permanent sterilization risks connected with trans-child patient care systems within relevant hospitals.