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Just When You Thought It Was Over...
When I saw the excitement unfold over the upcoming 2008 Presidential Election in various states and venues during the past several months, I could not help but think that maybe some of the detrimental public and reproductive health policies that have continued to plague the US over the past several decades, especially those that have been exacerbated by the Bush Administration, might be repealed and discarded. I thought that maybe US policymakers could finally get an opportunity to make a true attempt to enter the 21st Century with a commitment to dramatically reducing teen pregnacy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). I might still not be totally of the mark with my optimism for change in 2009, but this news is very disheartening...
On June 1st, The Washington Post reported that a new lobby is gearing up to increase support among parents to strenghten an already failed policy: Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Education Programs. The article, entitled "U.S. Campaign to Promote Abstinence Begins," details the recent effort by the National Abstinence Education Association to enlist the support of one million parents and convince Congress to continue its funding of Abstinence-Only programs in public middle and high schools.
Despite evidence-based research which shows Abstinence-Only programs to be ineffective and riddled with misinformation in many cases, Congress has continued to increase funding for these programs each year. Before July 1st of this year, Congress will decide whether to increase this funding stream yet again for Abstinence-Only education programs to the tune of $190 million. A total of seventeen states, including New Jersey and Arizona, have declined federal funding for Abstinence-Only education programs in recent years, citing the flaws of the Abstinence-Only curricula which are often incongruent with individual state core education standards.
Polls across the country continue to show that parents, educators, practitioners, and researchers support an integrated approach to sexuality education for young people, most commonly known as Comprehensive Sexuality Education programs, which discuss both abstinence and contraception methods. To learn more information about research findings on current sexuality education dynamics in the US, visit the Guttmacher Institute website at www.guttmacher.org. For more information on why states have refused to accept Abstinence-Only funding, visit the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US (SIECUS) website at www.siecus.org.
On June 1st, The Washington Post reported that a new lobby is gearing up to increase support among parents to strenghten an already failed policy: Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Education Programs. The article, entitled "U.S. Campaign to Promote Abstinence Begins," details the recent effort by the National Abstinence Education Association to enlist the support of one million parents and convince Congress to continue its funding of Abstinence-Only programs in public middle and high schools.
Despite evidence-based research which shows Abstinence-Only programs to be ineffective and riddled with misinformation in many cases, Congress has continued to increase funding for these programs each year. Before July 1st of this year, Congress will decide whether to increase this funding stream yet again for Abstinence-Only education programs to the tune of $190 million. A total of seventeen states, including New Jersey and Arizona, have declined federal funding for Abstinence-Only education programs in recent years, citing the flaws of the Abstinence-Only curricula which are often incongruent with individual state core education standards.
Polls across the country continue to show that parents, educators, practitioners, and researchers support an integrated approach to sexuality education for young people, most commonly known as Comprehensive Sexuality Education programs, which discuss both abstinence and contraception methods. To learn more information about research findings on current sexuality education dynamics in the US, visit the Guttmacher Institute website at www.guttmacher.org. For more information on why states have refused to accept Abstinence-Only funding, visit the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US (SIECUS) website at www.siecus.org.
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Comment by Emily Kronenberger on June 6, 2008 at 10:30am - Thanks Penny, this has been long under the radar. At this time, it is critical that the funding stream for ineffective Abstinence-Only programming which takes dollars away from other areas be discontinued and we return to evidence-based research to build programs that support young people and teach them how to be their own skilled health advocates.
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Comment by Penny Ronning on June 5, 2008 at 6:56pm - I was not aware of this information, Emily. Thank you for the post and for providing links to learn more.
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