Our Values
The COAPPP Board of Directors has adopted a set of value statements which articulate the core philosophical beliefs of the organization. These value statements serve to inform policies and practices of the organization.

• The involvement of families, community organizations, practitioners, schools, religious institutions, and local, state, regional and national coalitions and networks is essential in preventing adolescent pregnancy, improving STI/STD/HIV and pregnancy prevention, and supporting positive teen parenting.

• A culture that recognizes sexual development as an ongoing process among human beings and promotes respect and responsibility can lead to a reduction in risky sexual behavior.

• Teen pregnancy and STI/STD/HIV among youth is a complex issue that requires multifaceted analyses and solutions, including an understanding of and solutions to unequal social conditions that contribute to health disparities in pregnancy and STI/STD/HIV rates among youth of color and low-income and GLBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning) youth.

• Society must value the needs, contributions, and voices of adolescent youth and demonstrate that value through policies and practices which inform responsible decision-making by adolescent youth concerning their reproductive health, sexuality, and over all well-being.

• Both male and female partners are equally responsible for making healthy choices with respect to their sexual and reproductive health as well as supporting, nurturing, and parenting their children.

• Adolescent youth can make responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive health when they have complete, balanced, accurate, culturally relevant, and age-, gender-, and developmentally-appropriate information, skills, resources, and support.

• As the most important teachers of children, parents and caregivers have a responsibility to educate their youth about healthy sexual behaviors and positive decision-making. To that end, parents and caregivers require comprehensive, balanced, and accurate resources and tools to assist their efforts to build healthy and positive sexual attitudes and behaviors in their children.

• Effective adolescent pregnancy prevention and parenting programs are comprehensive, utilize research-based strategies, demonstrate an understanding and respect for the rights and capabilities of adolescents, and include a range of individuals, organizations, and communities in the decision-making, implementation, and evaluation processes.

• The teaching of developmentally and age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education and youth development opportunities hold the greatest hope for promoting healthy sexual development, increasing personal responsibility, and providing greater overall opportunities to youth and young adults.

• Effective and balanced sexuality education incorporates information about abstinence to delay the initiation of sexual activity, the effectiveness of condoms to prevent the transmission of STIs/STDs and HIV, and other medically safe and effective contraceptives to prevent pregnancy.

• In the event of unprotected intercourse or when regular contraception fails, emergency contraception is an acceptable and proven-safe method for preventing pregnancy.

• COAPPP recommends expansion and replication of evaluated programs that support the simultaneous development of pregnant and parenting adolescents. Resources should be directed at building program capacity and conducting evaluations of these efforts to improve the knowledge base on effective strategies.