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Introduction
Most adults agree on what is not healthy for teenagers. Health professionals, educators, policymakers and parents share a deep concern about unintended adolescent pregnancy, sexual abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. The question for policymakers is what approach will be most successful in helping young people avoid these negative outcomes and grow to become sexually healthy adults. (Advocates for Youth & SIECUS, 2001)
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Federal law does not require sexuality education in schools. In fact, several federal statutes stipulate that the federal government should not prescribe curriculum standards (SIECUS, 2001). However, Congress has created three programs that provide federal funding for sexuality education: 1) the Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA); 2) targeted abstinence-only funding through 1996 welfare reform legislation; and 3) the Special
Projects of Regional and National Significance–Community-Based Abstinence Education
(SPRANS-CBAE) grant program. All three of these programs promote abstinence-only sexuality education. (Collins, Alagiri, & Summers, 2002)
Over the last several years, Congress has emphasized funding abstinence-only programs over comprehensive sexuality education. President Bush and leaders in Congress have called for “parity” in funding between abstinence-only sex education and family planning, safe sex programs. [Yet] Congress increased funding for federal abstinence programs in fiscal year 2002, and has been asked by the President to increase it by another $33 million in fiscal year 2003. (Collins, Alagiri, & Summers, 2002)
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According to a review of states’ laws and policies by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, most states have adopted laws governing sexuality and STI education. (Gold & Nash, 2001) The review found that states require that some sexuality education be provided throughout the state, and that 21 states require that both sexuality and STD education be provided (Gold & Nash, 2001). Seventeen states require the provision of STD information specifically, but not sexuality education. Only Maine requires sexuality education but not STD education, and 11 states leave the decision to teach sexuality education and/or STD education entirely to local school districts. (Gold & Nash, 2001) (Collins, Alagiri, & Summers, 2002)
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While most states require schools to teach sexuality education, local school districts are given wide latitude in determining the content of their sexuality education programs (Gold & Nash, 2001). However, the minimal guidance that states do provide stresses abstinence (Gold & Nash, 2001). More than two out of three public school districts have a policy mandating sexuality education (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 2001). According to a nationwide survey taken by the Alan Guttmacher Institute of school superintendents:
· “86% percent of school districts with a sexuality education policy require promotion of abstinence”
· “51% require that abstinence be taught as the preferred option but also permit discussion of contraception as an effective means of protecting against unintended pregnancy and STIs”
· “35% require abstinence to be taught as the only option for unmarried people, while either prohibiting discussion of contraception altogether or limiting discussion to contraceptive failure rates”
· “14% of school districts currently have policies that are truly comprehensive and teach both contraception and abstinence” (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 2001). Schools in the South are most likely to have abstinence-only policies while, in contrast, school districts in the Northeast are least likely to have abstinence-only policies. (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 2001)
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Family life education act
H.R. 3469, 107th Congress, 1st Session; 2001
To date, legislation to promote comprehensive sex education has fared less well in congress. On December 12, 2001, Representative Barbara Lee of California introduced the bipartisan-supported “Family Life Education Act” in the House of Representative. The legislation would provide $100 million in grants to states “to conduct programs of family life education, including education on both abstinence and contraception for the prevention of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.” (H.R. 3469)
The legislation would permit states to receive federal funds for comprehensive sexuality education that include information both on abstinence and contraception. The legislation’s co-sponsors are Representative Lynn Woolsey, a democrat from California, and Jim Greenwood, a Republican from Pennsylvania. The fate of this legislation is not known. (Collins, Alagiri, & Summers, 2002)
Last Status: 12/12/2001, Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
I strongly support this bill and believe it should be taken out of its freeze status, approved in a timely manner and implemented as a law as soon as possible.
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