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AIDS Awareness Day & Healthy Teens Lobby Day
Urge your legislator to support An Act Concerning Healthy Teens (HB #5591). The Healthy Teens Act is a comprehensive sex education bill which has passed in the Education Committee and Appropriations Committee and the House needs to vote on it next. Call & email your legislator during lobby day, this Wednesday, April 23rd, and ask him/her to support the Healthy Teens Act and to keep the $500,000 in the budget that has been set aside for Healthy Teen Act grants to local school districts to offer comprehensive, medically accurate sex education in the budget!
To find your legislator's phone number, click here.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Constituent email: Support An Act Concerning Healthy Teens (HB 5591)
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I urge you to support An Act Concerning Healthy Teens (HB 5591), and to keep the $500,000 that has been set aside for Healthy Teen Act grants to local school districts to offer comprehensive, medically accurate sex education in the budget.
The Healthy Teens Act will ensure that Connecticut's youth have access to medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education providing them with the necessary skills to make safe and responsible choices surrounding their sexual health.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
April 21, 2008
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Few Connecticut students get comprehensive, age-appropriate, medically accurate information about sexual health before they become sexually active.
70% (7,665) of reported Chlamydia cases in CT in 2006 were among young people aged 10-24. Left untreated, Chlamydia is a major contributor to infertility later in life. 55% (1,463) of reported Gonorrhea cases in CT in 2006 were among young people aged 10-24.
The CT Department of Public Health reported the percentage of state births to teens was 6.9% in 2004. However, the rate is significantly higher in Hartford (20%), New Britain (16%), Windham (15.4%), New London (14%), New Haven (13.6%), Killingly (13.6%), Bridgeport (13.2%), Norwich (12.5%), and Putnam (9.9%).
Teens and young adults under the age of 25 continue to be at risk for HIV and most young people are infected through unprotected sex . African Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV infection, accounting for 55% of all HIV infections reported among persons aged 13–24 . The lifetime per person HIV care cost is now $618,900.
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