Consider reaching out
to heal America’s distorted view of sexuality
Dear activist,
Tell the Labor, HHS Subcommittee: End Abstinence-Only Funding Now!
And call Subcommittee and Call Chairman David Obey, (D-WI-7), at 202-225-3365 and tell him that failed abstinence- only sex education programs must not be included in the FY 2010 spending bill for Labor HHS.
On July 8, the House Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (Labor HHS) will be considering funding for FY 2010. Email the Labor HHS Subcommittee and Call Chairman David Obey, (D-WI-7), at 202-225-3365 and tell them that failed abstinence-only sex education programs must not be included in the FY 2010 spending bill for Labor HHS.
The evidence is irrefutable that spending for abstinence-only sex education is not only wasteful, but the programs put young women’s health at risk. Study after study documents the failure of these programs. A 2004 study by the House Committee on Government Reform, conducted at the request of Rep. Henry Waxman (D-30-CA) found that over 80% of the curricula used in the largest federally funded abstinence-only programs contained “false, misleading, or distorted information about reproductive health.”
The latest report, just released by the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Guttmacher Institute, reflects a rise in teen pregnancy rates in 2006 and 2007 and fewer teens are using contraception. These appalling statistics should not come as a surprise. During this same time period, millions of dollars that could have been used to provide guidance based on age appropriate sex education in our schools and communities has been diverted for ideological reasons to failed abstinence-only programs.
We must tell Chairman Obey and the Members of the Labor HHS Subcommittee that now is the time to stop funding for these programs that are destructive to our young women and men. Email them today and please call Obey’s office at 202-225- 3365.
For Equality,
Eleanor Smeal
President Norma Gattsek
Government Relations Director
1600 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 801, Arlington, VA 22209 | 703.522.2214 | femmaj@feminist.org