FamilyLeader.net. Abstinence education is in peril-not only the money that funds it, but the very definition of what kind of sex education youth are taught in school. Will they be taught to abstain from sex-or that sexual expression is a expected-and the most important thing teens can learn is “safe-sex”?
The allocation of funds for Title V Abstinence Education expires on December 31, 2006. Reauthorization of this program is critical because not only does this govern and provide the Title V Abstinence Education grants ($50 million annually), but the guidelines under this program require that abstinence education programs have an exclusive purpose of teaching the social, psychological, and health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity. Guidelines also require programs to teach young people how to reject sexual advances and how alcohol and drug use increases vulnerability to sexual advances.These definitions also govern the Community Based Abstinence Education program (over $100 million annually) and the Adolescent and Family Life program (about $13 million annually). Without reauthorization of the Title V program, all of these funding streams are vulnerable to elimination.
The perils of teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) should be reason enough for the federal government to allocate millions of dollars a year into Abstinence Education. Three million American teens contract an STD each year-many incurable and leading to infertility or cancer.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that the increase in abstinence among teenagers is substantially more responsible for the drop in teenage pregnancy rates than any increased contraception use.  An analysis of the Best Friends program, an abstinence education program that began in the District of Columbia in 1987 and is now used in over 100 schools nationwide, found that the program participants were nearly seven times more likely than the control group to abstain from sexual activity.
We understand that senatorial staff members are already drafting new definitions to ensure federal funding only goes to “safe sex” programs that led to decades of high teen birth rates and an epidemic of STDs
During this season of gift giving, we urgently need to remind some federal lawmakers to keep giving money to programs that work and not let them be replaced by safe-sex programs! Abstinence Education programs are worth every dollar spent.  These programs help teens stay healthy, develop strong self-esteem, and improve their future prospects.  Our youth live in a sex saturated culture and desperately need information on why they should avoid the pitfalls of risky sexual behavior.
| Take Action: Contact Key Lawmakers ASAP
Contact the Energy and Commerce Committee which oversees Title V funding. Click here for contact information. To send an email to the entire committee, scroll down until you see “Sending Comments or Requesting Information.” Click on “Sending Comments.” Copy and paste the sample message below and add your own sentence at the beginning to make it personal.Contact the Committee Chairman, Joe Barton of Texas, by phone at (202) 225-2002 or by fax at (202) 225-3052.  He only accepts emails from his constituents. Contact the House Majority Leader, John Boehner of Ohio, by phone at (202) 225-4000 or by fax at (202) 225-5117. He only accepts emails from his constituents. Contact your Representative by clicking here. Sample Message: Reauthorizing the Title V Abstinence Education program before it expires on December 31, 2006 should be a top priority. Abstinence education grants are critical for the health and well-being of America’s youth.  The perils of teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases should be reason enough for the federal government to allocate $50 million a year into Abstinence Education. |
| Strong Support for Abstinence Education Among Teens
The 2004 survey by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy found:  94% of teens and 91% of adults believe that teens should be given a strong abstinence message not to have sex until they are at least out of high school. |
Abstinence curricula must contain all eight of these components.
1. teaches the social, psychological, and health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity;2. teaches abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage as the expected standard for all school age children; 3. teaches that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems; 4. teaches that a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in context of marriage is the expected standard of human sexual activity; 5. teaches that sexual activity outside of the context of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects; 6.  teaches that bearing children out-of-wedlock is likely to have harmful consequences for the child, the child’s parents, and society; 7.  teaches young people how to reject sexual advances and how alcohol and drug use increases vulnerability to sexual advances; and 8.  teaches the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before engaging in sexual activity. Commonly Used Abstinence Programs: Choosing the Best  http://www.choosingthebest.org/ Wait Training  http://www.waittraining.com/ Game Plan http://www.acgreen.com/ Project Reality http://www.projectreality.org// |
Abstinence vs. Comprehensive
The availability of federal funds ensures that communities have the opportunity to debate the merits of abstinence education over comprehensive sex education. Who pushes for comprehensive sex education? The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS). Click here for their websiteWhat “Comprehensive” Really Means
“Comprehensive” means teaching children and youth that homosexual behavior is normal and that adolescents should explore their sexuality to determine their sexual orientation.  The “comprehensive” approach teaches children as young as 5th grade how to use condoms and recommends them for all sexual activity including homosexuality activity.
Liberty Letters Comment: The federal government should not be involved in state education in the first place, for that is where all the trouble started. On the other hand, things being as they are, fighting for this may make sense to some of you in the short run. In the long run, better answers include shutting down the U.S. Department of Education, as Reagan promised to do, cutting off all federal education grants to the states (by the states refusing them, or by complete elimination of these grants), and by drafting and passing legislation that will limit the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court from ruling on matters of public education on the state and local level. Again, the trouble with Family Leader’s solution, as I see it, is that it is the kind of stuff Republicans too often do to solve the socialism crisis, via more socialism that is (right of center). It doesn’t work. Why not? For even if the current administration is with you, the ACLU lawyers won’t be, nor will the NEXT administration, which may use the same power to radically attack the same values, leaving us all with less options of defense. Think about it. Federal grants always, always, always come with strings attached, sooner or later. Leviathan is the puppeteer – and the puppet, yes, the puppet is us. As for abstinence education, I’m all for it, for a variety of reasons. Common sense, common morality, health risks, even fiscal reasons – but let’s control it locally, with parent input.
