With all of the progress African Americans have made, they still face many risks that threaten the entire race or place segments in jeopardy of survival. This work examines the widespread problem and suggests solutions. This two-volume set examines the issues and policies that put African Americans at risk in our culture today, utilizing the most recent research from scholars in the field to provide not only objective, encyclopedic information, but also varying viewpoints to encourage critical thinking. The entries comprehensively document how African Americans are treated differently, have more negative outcomes in the same situations than other races, and face risks due to issues inherent in their past or current social and economic conditions. Care is taken to note distinctions between subgroups and not further a "blanket approach" to the diverse members of this minority population. Intended for members of the African American community; societal scholars; students in the fields of health, social studies, and public policy; as well as general readers, this work will provide readers with a deeper understanding of key components affecting the lives of African Americans today.

Editor David M. Haugen has compiled several essays that debate the real and perceived teen rights related to becoming parents at a young age. Issues such as the options for continuing education during pregnancy and afterwards and the rights of teen fathers are discussed. Financial support and responsibilities for teen parents are also explored. Material is drawn from a diverse selection of primary and secondary sources with particular emphasis on Supreme Court and other court decisions.

The teenage pregnancy rate has dropped in recent years, yet each year more than 320,000 teen girls in the United States give birth. This volume examines the changing attitudes of teenagers toward contraception, abstinence, sexually transmitted diseases, media influences, and other issues involving young people and sex.

The Subcommittee on Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations of the House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform and Oversight met to consider the causes of and solutions to teen pregnancy and the role of community organizations in prevention efforts. Opening remarks by Representative Christopher Shays were followed by statements by a number of people with expertise in teen pregnancy prevention, beginning with the statement of Representative Edolphus Towns, which emphasizes that in many cases the fathers of the babies of teenage girls are much older than the mothers. Statements of Representatives Nancy Johnson and Eva M. Clayton further defined the problem and emphasized that solutions must be community based. Remarks and a panel discussion were presented by: (1) Henry W. Foster, Jr., Senior Advisor to the President; (2) Kristin A. Moore, from the National Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy; (3) Pat Funderburk Ware, former director of the Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs; and (4) Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. The panel discussion of these representatives of national initiatives was followed by a panel discussion of representatives from Best Friends, a program for girls and young women, and the Institute for Responsible Fatherhood and Family Revitalization. The transcribed comments and prepared statements of members of both panels are supplemented by letters, statements, and other documents submitted for the record. Panelists and Congress members were in general agreement that community-based approaches are needed to address the problems of teen pregnancy and that the role of fathers must be strengthened. (SLD)

Witnesses: Elayne Bennett and Robin Williams, Best Friends Foundation; Rep. Eva M. Clayton; Barbara Huberman, Advocates for Youth; Kevin B. Travick and Andre Gaston, Institute for Responsible Fatherhood and Family Revitalization; Henry W. Foster, Jr., White House Liaison to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and exec. dir., Child Trends, Inc.; Pat Funderburk Ware, former Dir. of Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services; Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Lt. Gov., State of MD; and Rep. Nancy Johnson.

Drug overdose, driven largely by overdose related to the use of opioids, is now the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. The ongoing opioid crisis lies at the intersection of two public health challenges: reducing the burden of suffering from pain and containing the rising toll of the harms that can arise from the use of opioid medications. Chronic pain and opioid use disorder both represent complex human conditions affecting millions of Americans and causing untold disability and loss of function. In the context of the growing opioid problem, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an Opioids Action Plan in early 2016. As part of this plan, the FDA asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene a committee to update the state of the science on pain research, care, and education and to identify actions the FDA and others can take to respond to the opioid epidemic, with a particular focus on informing FDA's development of a formal method for incorporating individual and societal considerations into its risk-benefit framework for opioid approval and monitoring.