TAKE ACTION - SPEAK OUT!
SENATE TAKES ACTION TO PROTECT REAL SEX EDUCATION
U.S. Senate Acts to End Funding for Ineffective Abstinence-Only Sex Ed
Congress acted on May 18th to pull the plug on funding for abstinence-only sex education programs effective June 30th when a current $50 million grant expires. Congress will continue to provide funds for sexual health education—but funding will now support programs that teach both abstinence and effective methods of birth control. As the nation’s largest provider of reproductive health care, Planned Parenthood knows that for young people to act responsibly, including the prevention of unintended pregnancy, they must have access to comprehensive, medically accurate sex education and reproductive health care.
Write a Letter to the Editor in Support of REAL Sex Education
Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper and voice your support for comprehensive sex education. Letter should be 200 words or less, and include your name, address and daytime telephone number. Email letters to:
- Orange County Register: letters@ocregister.com
- San Bernardino Sun: voice@sbsun.com
- L.A. Times: letters@latimes.com
Talking Points For Your Letter
- Teenagers need to know how to protect themselves against unintended pregnancy and HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. They need the right information to make responsible decisions.
- Eighty-two percent of Americans support providing teens with medically accurate, comprehensive sex education.
- In the last decade, more than $1 billion has been wasted on dangerous abstinence-only programs that deny teenagers life-saving information. It’s time to put that money toward real solutions that will help prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among teenagers.
- Expanding access to real sex education and birth control is the best way to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion. Comprehensive sex education is a commonsense solution that people on all sides of the abortion debate should support.
- Studies show that abstinence-only programs don’t reduce the number of teen pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections. These programs deny teenagers medically accurate information about birth control and sexually transmitted infections.
Remember, keep your letter short (no more than 200 words), include your city and phone number, and send it to your local paper TODAY!
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