Urge Congress To Support REAL Sex Education

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Urge Congress To Support REAL Sex Education

Texas now has the highest teen birth rate and the fifth highest teen pregnancy rate in the U.S.

As well, the CDC recently reported 1 in 4 girls ages 15-19 has contracted at least one sexually transmitted infection (STI). That translates nationwide into an estimated 3.2 million teenage girls having an STI!

The statistics speak volumes - abstinence-only sex education is failing to reduce teen pregnancy or delay sexual activity and has wasted $1.5 billion in tax dollars since 1996.

It's time the U.S. took a broader approach to sex education.

The Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act would provide funding for medically-accurate, comprehensive sex education that includes information about abstinence AND the benefits of condoms and contraception to help teens protect their health, their lives, and their futures.

Urge your Congressmembers today to support REAL sex education. Thank you!

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Support the REAL Act (S. 972/H.R. 1653)

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

As your constituent, I urge you to support federal funding for comprehensive sex education through the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act. Right now, the U.S. government is spending millions of tax-payer dollars each year for programs that simply don't work and, worse, are dangerous to adolescent health and safety.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently found that 1 in 4 teenage girls has at least one sexually transmitted infection (STI), and Child Trends recently ranked Texas as number one in the nation in teen births. These facts demonstrate that our country needs a more comprehensive approach to teaching young people about sexual health.

It is in all our best interests to insure that young people are equipped with complete and medically-accurate information about abstinence AND the benefits of condoms and contraception to help them avoid unintended pregnancies, remain free of STIs, and make informed, responsible decisions throughout their lives. The REAL Act would help do this.

It is time Congress stood up for teens' health and safety. Please support this responsible legislation.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
May 13, 2008

Background Information

This year, the federal government will spend $176 million on abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that teach about the benefits gained from abstaining from sex, but teach nothing about the benefits of condoms and contraception for when people do decide to become sexually active.

In Texas, schools that choose to teach sex education must emphasize the benefits of abstinence, but are not required to mention contraception or condoms at all. Those that do mostly highlight only their failure rates. Abstinence is a great message, but it's not enough. How can Texas teens, when they become sexually active, protect themselves if they think condoms and birth control don't work?

Evidence is emerging that confirms abstinence-only sex education programs have little positive effect on the lives of adolescents.

A recent government-sponsored study by Mathematica Policy Research found that teens in abstinence-only programs are just as likely to engage in sexual activity at the same age as those who receive no sex education. However, other research has shown that a medically-accurate, comprehensive approach to sex education is effective at delaying sexual activity in teens, reducing their frequency of sexual activity, and increasing their use of contraception and condoms when they become sexually active.

Abstinence-only sex education is not working. It's time Congress put the health and safety of young people first by supporting scientifically proven programs that provide them with ALL the information they need to make healthy, responsible decisions now and in their futures.