|
April 24, 2008
The
Honorable Henry Waxman
Chairman
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
U.S. House of Representatives
2157 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
RE:
AIDS Action Statement on the Public Health and Ethical Concerns with
Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs and the Need for Comprehensive
Sexuality Education, Submitted for the Record.
Dear Chairman Waxman,
AIDS
Action serves as the national voice for AIDS service organizations,
health departments, health educators, and a diverse network of
community-based organizations across the country providing services for
people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. On behalf of AIDS Action’s
diverse membership organizations committed to ending the HIV/AIDS
epidemic in the United States, I write to express grave concern with
continued federal investment in abstinence-only-until-marriage
programs. AIDS Action has long called for the elimination of funding
for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, and instead supports
comprehensive prevention and sexual educational programs that are
scientifically sound and effective at reducing HIV and STD
transmission. The health and education of our nation’s young people
must become a priority for this Congress, and we commend the Committee
for holding an oversight hearing on this most critical issue.
Several
federally funded research studies show that
abstinence-only-until-marriage education programs are ineffective at
best. They do not delay the start of sexual activity or decrease the
number of sexual partners. Often they contain medically inaccurate data
and do not teach youth how to protect themselves from HIV infection.
Most recently, a study of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs was
conducted by Mathematica Policy Research Inc. on behalf of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. The $1 million study found no
evidence that abstinence-only programs increases rates of sexual
abstinence. The study also found that students enrolled in
abstinence-only-until-marriage-education programs were far less likely
to know that condoms can lower the risk of sexually transmitted
diseases including HIV.
It is imperative that Congress take a
hard look at this scientific evidence. It is not only unethical to deny
young people life saving information and education, but reprehensible
for Congress to continue spending American tax dollars on ideologically
based programs that are proven to be unsuccessful.
Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs have been funded by the federal
government for over 25 years. These programs have received over $1
billion dollars under the Bush administration, all without any
legitimate evidentiary support in their favor.
Our
government’s irresponsible and narrow focus on
abstinence-only-until-marriage education has serious consequences. HIV
remains a public health crisis in America, now infecting more than
40,000 people annually. Every 13 minutes, a person in the United States
is newly infected with HIV. More than 1 in 10 of them are under the age
of 25. Not only are HIV rates on the rise, America’s youth are also
facing higher rates of other sexually transmitted diseases and teen
pregnancy. As STD rates rise among our nation’s youth so does their
risk of HIV, as having a sexually transmitted disease makes an
individual biologically more susceptible to HIV infection.
There
is clearly a true need for evidence-based, comprehensive sexuality
education that meets the needs of all youth, including HIV positive,
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. Congress should fund
age-appropriate, comprehensive, and evidenced based sexuality education
programs which fully inform youth about HIV prevention-interventions.
Abstinence is and should remain a critical component of comprehensive
HIV prevention education along with contraception and other life and
decision making skills.
AIDS Action urges the
Committee to provide the necessary oversight to bring an end to federal
funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. We ask Congress to
act in the best interest of young people by supporting public health
and education policies that are comprehensive and rooted in the best
science. Thank you, Chairman Waxman for your leadership and
commitment on this issue.
Sincerely,
Ronald Johnson
Deputy Executive Director
|
