Each year, thousands of teen parents' drop out - or are pushed out - of New York City schools. Studies have documented drop out rates for teen parents as high as 70 percent. All of these young people are legally entitled to a free public education - a support that provides a foundation for future success for both parents and their children.

The Reproductive Health Act:

• Guarantees a woman’s right to control her reproductive health;
• Ensures that a woman will be able to have an abortion if her health is endangered;
• Treats the regulation of abortion as an issue of public health and medical practice, rather than as a potential crime; and
Guarantees everyone the right to use or refuse contraception.

If you are 17 or younger, you have the right to get sexual health services on your own in New York.

This publication outlines your rights while breastfeeding in New York, including your rights in the hospital, in public, and at work.

If you think you may be pregnant, you have the right to confidential pregnancy testing. No one can tell your parents or anyone else about the results unless you say it's okay. No one can force you to take a pregnancy test, an STD test, or an HIV/AIDS test without your permission.

What did the U.S. Supreme Court decide in Gonzales v. Carhart and Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood Federation of America (a single decision referred to as Carhart II)?

New York laws about "statutory rape" and child abuse reporting are confusing. This list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) describes when to make a report to the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (the reporting hotline for child abuse and neglect) based on a minor's sexual activity.

Taxpayer-funded abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in New York State have used materials that rely on scare tactics, contain inaccurate and medically unsound information, include religious messages and leave youth unprepared to make healthy decisions about sexuality, concludes a report by the Reproductive Rights Project of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

Sparked by cases where women were denied access to reproductive health care while incarcerated, the NYCLU launched an investigation of policies for provision of health care specific to female inmates in county jails. We found that although women incarcerated in New York State are legally entitled to reproductive health care, few county jails have policies ensuring comprehensive access to such care.

Adolescents, more than members of any other age group, often do not get the health care they need. According to the American Medical Association, a major reason for this is that adolescents fear that health care providers will disclose confidential information about sensitive issues to their parents or guardians. In fact, the law allows teenagers to obtain medical treatment—including “sensitive” health care, such as reproductive health care—without their parents’ involvement or even knowledge in a variety of situations.