Urge Your Senator to Pass the Healthy Teens Act

We are one step closer to passing the Healthy Teens Act!  On May 23, the Senate Health Committee favorably reported the Healthy Teens Act.  But there is still more you can do to ensure that the bill is passed into law this year.

The Senate urgently needs to move the Healthy Teens Act to the floor for a vote before the end of the legislative session on June 22.  And your Senator can play a key role in making it happen! 

Passing the Healthy Teens Act will make a difference in the lives of many young people who continue to be left in the dark when it comes to sex education.  We must empower our communities to address New York's high rates of unintended pregnancy and sexually transitted infections by providing them with needed resources.

Make your voice heard.  Tell your Senator that you support age-appropriate, medically accurate sex education for New York's young people. Send a message to your Senator to move the Healthy Teens Act to the floor for a vote now!

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Pass the Healthy Teens Act

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

Your support is crucial to move the Healthy Teens Act (S.5121c) through committee and bring the bill to the floor for a vote before the end of session.

The Healthy Teens Act is critical to the health of New York's young people. New York State's teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection rates are among the highest in the country.

The Healthy Teens Act will help the very communities you serve to address the issues of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Young people need honest information to make informed and healthy decisions. The legislation - which is NOT a mandate - would establish a competitive grant program to provide resources to plan and implement age-appropriate, medically accurate sex education programs.

72% of New Yorkers support the Healthy Teens Act. Like me, they want schools to have resources to create programs that will make a difference in the lives of young people in New York State. An investment in the Healthy Teens Act will save lives and money.

We are counting on your leadership to bring the Healthy Teens Act to the floor of the Senate for passage.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
June 05, 2006


Background Information

  • Rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections in New York State are among the highest in the country. The data is clear: the health of young people is at risk.
  • More than $13 million is spent in New York State on abstinence-only programs that prohibit teachers from discussing contraceptives except to emphasize their failure rates.
  • A 2004 congressional report found that many federally-funded abstinence-only programs contained false or misleading information about reproductive health.
  • Sex education programs that provide information about contraception and disease prevention, and teach abstinence, do not increase sexual activity or sexual risk behaviors.
  • Research shows that comprehensive sex education helps to delay the onset of intercourse, reduce frequency of intercourse, increase condom and contraception use and decrease the number of sexual partners of program participants.
  • An investment in the Healthy Teens Act will save money and lives. The financial and human cost of unintended pregnancy and treatment of sexually transmitted infections is overwhelming.

 
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