Help Teens Get the REAL Facts of Life
- by: NARAL Pro-Choice America
- recipient: U.S. Senators
The Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act would establish the first federal sex-education program.
Compared to President Bushs abstinence-only programs that censor, mislead, and misinform, responsible sex education teaches young people about abstinence AND contraception, and is proven to reduce unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among teens.
The federal government's focus on abstinence-only programs also runs counter to the preferences of a vast majority of parents, who want their children to have medically-accurate, age-appropriate sex education. According to a 2004 survey, 94 percent of Americans think it is appropriate to teach young people about birth control.
Take action to support this bill in the U.S. Senate - and ensure that federal dollars are used for common sense, effective sex education.
Compared to President Bushs abstinence-only programs that censor, mislead, and misinform, responsible sex education teaches young people about abstinence AND contraception, and is proven to reduce unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among teens.
The federal government's focus on abstinence-only programs also runs counter to the preferences of a vast majority of parents, who want their children to have medically-accurate, age-appropriate sex education. According to a 2004 survey, 94 percent of Americans think it is appropriate to teach young people about birth control.
Take action to support this bill in the U.S. Senate - and ensure that federal dollars are used for common sense, effective sex education.
Dear [your Senator],
I urge you to co-sponsor Sen. Frank Lautenberg's Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act. This bill would establish the first-ever federal sex-education program.
For years, taxpayer dollars have flooded into unproven abstinence-only programs - with President Bush just proposing another $38 million increase in his FY'06 budget - while no federal program is dedicated to honest and comprehensive sex education. This huge financial investment in abstinence-only programs conflicts with scientific and medical research: abstinence-only programs have never been proven effective and may result in riskier behavior by teenagers. Responsible sex-education programs, on the other hand, have demonstrated positive results such as delayed initiation of sex, reduced frequency of sex, and increased contraceptive use among teens.
The federal government's focus on abstinence-only programs also runs counter to the preferences of parents, the clear majority of whom want their children to have medically-accurate, age-appropriate sex education.
According to a 2004 survey, 94 percent of Americans think it is appropriate to teach young people about birth control.
In addition, a recent report by the House Committee on Government Reform revealed that many of the most common federally funded abstinence-only curricula contain errors, distortions, and stereotypes, such as women need "financial support," while men need "admiration" and exposure to sweat and tears are risk factors for HIV transmission.
The REAL Act will begin to correct this egregious imbalance in federal policy by funding comprehensive, medically-accurate sex-education programs on par with what is currently being spent on unproven and misleading abstinence-only programs.
As your constituent, I strongly advise you to co-sponsor this legislation and ensure comprehensive sex education for young people.
Sincerely,
[your name]
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