The newly established Office of Adolescent Health, under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), recently released a funding opportunity announcement for a $75 million funding stream to support medically accurate, age appropriate, evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs.

  

In December 2010, the President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010, which included $114.5 million for the President’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative. This marked a notable shift in how the United States addresses sex education and the prevention of unintended pregnancy, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The new teen pregnancy prevention initiative will be administered by the newly established Office of Adolescent Health within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The Personal Responsibility Education Program, created through the recently passed Health Care Reform legislation, will provide states with grants for comprehensive sex education that provides young people with complete, medically accurate, and age-appropriate sex education that helps them reduce their risk of unintended pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Programs would also address the life skills necessary so young people can make responsible decisions and lead safe and healthy lives.

The federal government should not continue funding for the ineffective Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage program but should instead listen to the overwhelming evidence that this massive federal expenditure has failed completely to achieve its stated goals.

  

Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA-9) introduced the Responsible Education About Life Act (REAL Act) (S. 611, H.R. 1551) that would provide young people with the tools to make informed decisions, build healthy relationships, and have the information to protect themselves against unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.

  

Comprehensive sex education addresses the root issues that help teens make responsible decisions to keep them safe and healthy and there is strong evidence showing the effectiveness of these programs. 

  

Over the past 25 years, Congress has spent over $1.5 billion on abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, yet no study in a professional peer-reviewed journal has found these programs to be broadly effective. Scientific evidence simply does not support an abstinence-only-until-marriage approach. 

Organizations that support abstinence-only-until-marriage programs portray sexuality education as a controversial issue. Yet, all evidence suggests that comprehensive sexuality education is a mainstream American value. A vast majority of Americans support comprehensive sexuality education—medically accurate, age-appropriate education that includes information about both abstinence and contraception—and believe young people should be given information about how to protect themselves from unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)

  

If you support comprehensive sexuality education—medically accurate, age-appropriate education that includes information about abstinence and contraception—then you are in good company.

  

Included are examples of what young people are taught in some of the most commonly used abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula. Prior to Fiscal Year 2010, the federal government had spent over one billion dollars on abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. All of the examples come from curricula that were used in programs previously supported by federal funds. 

  

Three percent of high school students describe themselves as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, and over five percent report they are either lesbian, gay, bisexual, or have had sexual experiences with individuals of the same sex. As a minority population in schools across the country, LGBTQ youth commonly experience high rates of discrimination and harassment, yet are often not protected under school policy. And even though most parents favor teaching about sexual orientation in schools, most sexuality education programs do not cover this topic and abstinence-only-until-marriage programs merely further negative sentiment toward these students.

  

As of August 2008, at least 25 states were no longer participating in the crumbling Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage program. Begun in 1998, this program saw a 40 percent decrease in participation by states in the last two years. Of the states that have withdrawn, 80 percent did so based on strong research and evaluations showing that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are incredibly ineffective. 

  

Educating youth about emergency contraception (EC) through comprehensive sexuality education programs is critical to reducing the rate of unintended pregnancy. However, federally funded abstinence-only-until-marriage programs censor vital information about the effectiveness of contraception, including EC. Both emergency contraception and comprehensive sexuality education are proven to reduce the rate of unintended pregnancy.

  

Virginity pledges—promises that young people make to remain abstinent until marriage—are becoming increasingly popular in schools and communities across the country. Virginity pledges are the cornerstone of most abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. Taking a virginity pledge is often times an indication that a young person has participated in some type of abstinence-only-until-marriage program.