By Mr. Petersen of Marblehead, petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2217) of Douglas W. Petersen and others for legislation to direct the departments of Transitional Assistance, Public Health and Education to institute a program of pregnancy prevention.  Public Health.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PETITION OF:

Douglas W. Petersen

David Paul Linsky

Kay Khan

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In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.

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An Act relative to pregnancy prevention.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. The department of transitional assistance, the department of public health and the department of education are hereby authorized and directed to institute a program for mothers who have received aid under the provisions of chapter one hundred and eighteen as a result of having become pregnant while unwed. Said program shall hire, train and prepare said mothers for a two year pilot pregnancy prevention program for girls and/or boys in participating public schools and/or programs directed at youth and young adults to educate them as to the adverse social and economic consequences of being an unwed mother. Said program shall be based upon principles as found in reality based approaches currently utilized in the department of correction and certain drug prevention and treatment programs. Such participation by said mothers employed by the departments will satisfy the work/community service requirements as mandated by section one hundred and ten of chapter five of the acts of nineteen hundred and ninety-five. The department of education shall select an independent research entity to evaluate the results of said pilot program.

SECTION 2. The secretary of administration and finance or his or her designee shall hire an independent research entity to conduct a study and investigation of programs and services, in the commonwealth, presently available in the area of pregnancy prevention and of the degree of coordination of such programs and services. Such study will include, but not be limited to, an analysis of the methodologies utilized, effectiveness of said programs (including benefit-cost analysis), populations served, and the availability and reliability of program and/or state and municipal evaluation and monitoring of said programs. Programs to be subject to said study shall include, but not be limited to, so-called abstinence-based pregnancy prevention programs, traditional counseling based programs, health education, condom distribution, etc. Said study will compare programs available in the commonwealth with other comparable states.
The secretary shall report to the general court the results of such study and investigation, including recommendations for improved pregnancy prevention services, to the clerks of the house and senate on or before the first Wednesday in January, two thousand and seven.