Take Action: Prevention First! REAL Sex Ed Saves Lives!

Prevention First! REAL Sex Ed Saves Lives!

In the past 10 years, Congress and state governments have wasted more than $1.5 billion on dangerous abstinence-only programs that deny young people vital information about birth control and responsible decision making.

Sadly, the cost of these failed programs goes beyond their $1.5 billion price tag. Young people are paying the price with their health. In fact, a recent study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in four teen girls in the U.S. has a sexually transmitted infection.

But there is a way to fix this mess. The Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act will provide funds for medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education in schools. It has been introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and it needs your support!

Please fill out the form to the right to demand that Congress stop wasting money on abstinence-only programs and start supporting REAL sex education instead. Planned Parenthood is collecting signatures and will hand deliver your letter to Congress.

The message below will be sent on your behalf:

Subject:

Dear [ Decision Maker ],

(Edit Letter Below)

I urge you to stop wasting valuable taxpayer dollars on dangerous abstinence-only programs that deny teenagers life-saving information about prevention. I am shocked to find out that one in four teenage girls in the United States has a sexually transmitted infection.  Teenagers desperately need accurate and complete information about sex, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections, not the politically motivated medical inaccuracies mandated by abstinence-only programs. 
 
Abstinence-only programs are unrealistic and actually harmful to teenagers. Several recent studies, including one authorized by Congress, have found that abstinence-only programs are ineffective and have no measurable impact on the promotion of abstinence. If we don't provide young people with the information they need, they will not know how to adequately protect themselves if and when they do become sexually active. It clearly isn't enough to tell teens to just say no to sex. Each year approximately 750,000 teens become pregnant - the United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate among the most developed countries - and nearly four million teens will get a sexually transmitted infection.
 
We know that the majority of parents and 75 percent of all voters strongly favor Congress requiring schools to teach responsible, comprehensive sex education. And providing teens with that kind of education is what the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act is all about. Comprehensive sex education programs stress abstinence but also provide full information about prevention to protect teens from unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.

As your constituent, I call on you to eliminate federal funding for abstinence-only programs and instead put your support behind the REAL Act, which will provide teens with the accurate information they need to make responsible decisions and protect their health and their futures.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]


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