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MEMBERS OF CONGRESS EXPRESS CONCERN OVER PRESIDENT BUSH'S PROPOSAL FOR INCREASE IN ABSTINENCE-ONLY FUNDING
Washington, DC B Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), Congressman James Greenwood (R-PA), and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), today sent a letter to President Bush expressing strong concern about his proposal for increased funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in the Administration=s Fiscal Year 2003 budget.
President Bush is expected to ask for a 33 percent increase in funding for abstinence-only programs in the budget that he will submit to Congress next week. The Federal Government currently only funds programs that support abstinence-only education, which prohibits discussion of birth control or condoms as effective methods to prevent unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections.
AAllowing our young people to be ignorant in the times of HIV/AIDS is a matter of life and death. An average of 2 young people in the U.S. are infected with HIV every hour of every day,@ said Lee. ADenying our sons and daughters the information they need to protect their health and their lives is not only naive and misguided, but irresponsible and extremely dangerous.@
There is currently no federal funding for comprehensive sexuality education that includes information about both abstinence and contraception, from both a values and public health perspective. The Centers for Disease Control states that Aresearch has clearly shown that the most effective programs are comprehensive ones that include a focus on delaying sexual behavior and providing information on how sexually active young people can protect themselves@ Reps. Lee, Greenwood, and Woolsey have introduced H.R. 3469, The Family Life and Education Act, which will provide funding to allow states to implement a comprehensive approach to sexuality education in public schools.
AAbstinence only education is a short-sighted approach that won=t work,@ said Rep. Lynn Woolsey. AWe can=t risk our children=s future by not fully educating them about their options. It is irresponsible to withhold information that could protect them from dangerous diseases and unwanted pregnancy. I will fight to expand abstinence only education funding to include other birth control methods.@
The American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Medical Association (AMA), the Surgeon General of the United States, and more than 100 other medical and professional organizations all support comprehensive sexuality education.
H.R. 3469 is supported by Advocates for Youth, AIDS Action, American Civil Liberties Union, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American School Health Association, Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Council of La Raza, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, among other health and community organizations. Attached is a copy of the letter sent to President Bush and a fact sheet on H.R. 3469.
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President Bush is expected to ask for a 33 percent increase in funding for abstinence-only programs in the budget that he will submit to Congress next week. The Federal Government currently only funds programs that support abstinence-only education, which prohibits discussion of birth control or condoms as effective methods to prevent unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections.
AAllowing our young people to be ignorant in the times of HIV/AIDS is a matter of life and death. An average of 2 young people in the U.S. are infected with HIV every hour of every day,@ said Lee. ADenying our sons and daughters the information they need to protect their health and their lives is not only naive and misguided, but irresponsible and extremely dangerous.@
There is currently no federal funding for comprehensive sexuality education that includes information about both abstinence and contraception, from both a values and public health perspective. The Centers for Disease Control states that Aresearch has clearly shown that the most effective programs are comprehensive ones that include a focus on delaying sexual behavior and providing information on how sexually active young people can protect themselves@ Reps. Lee, Greenwood, and Woolsey have introduced H.R. 3469, The Family Life and Education Act, which will provide funding to allow states to implement a comprehensive approach to sexuality education in public schools.
AAbstinence only education is a short-sighted approach that won=t work,@ said Rep. Lynn Woolsey. AWe can=t risk our children=s future by not fully educating them about their options. It is irresponsible to withhold information that could protect them from dangerous diseases and unwanted pregnancy. I will fight to expand abstinence only education funding to include other birth control methods.@
The American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Medical Association (AMA), the Surgeon General of the United States, and more than 100 other medical and professional organizations all support comprehensive sexuality education.
H.R. 3469 is supported by Advocates for Youth, AIDS Action, American Civil Liberties Union, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American School Health Association, Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Council of La Raza, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, among other health and community organizations. Attached is a copy of the letter sent to President Bush and a fact sheet on H.R. 3469.
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