Coalition for Responsible Sex Ed is a coalition of educational, religious, health, social service and advocacy organizations, as well as concerned individuals that promotes lifelong healthy sexuality by advocating for policies on responsible sexuality education and access to confidential health care services.
State Update
Sex Ed is on the move at the Capitol. Included as a component of a larger prevention bill (HF550/SF273), responsible sex ed has received a hearing with an expanded audience this year: the House and Senate Health and Human Services Committees. To view these hearings, follow this link, scroll to the February 11 hearing and scroll to January 26.
Sex Ed has also been introduced as a stand alone bill (HF906/SF965) in both the House and the Senate. Stay tuned for more information as the session progresses.
For more information about what's happening at the Capitol, contact Lorie Alveshere at lorie@moappp.org or Amy Brugh at amy.brugh@mnaidsproject.org.
Federal Update - Take Action Today!
In the next few weeks, the President will submit his first budget to Congress, and it must eliminate funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.
As President Obama begins work on his Fiscal Year 2010 budget, your voice is urgently needed to ask him to spend No More Money on abstinence-only-until marriage programs. Tell President Obama that his first budget is an opportunity to take an important step toward ending these harmful and ineffective programs. The federal government has allocated more than $1.3 billion for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs and it must stop. President Obama needs to hear from you today that it is unacceptable that each year 176 million of taxpayer dollars are wasted on these ineffective and dangerous programs.
If you haven't already done so, TAKE ACTION Today and email President Obama!
It's a good sign.
Congress just passed the Fiscal Year 2009 (Oct 1, '08 – Oct 1, '09) Omnibus appropriation bill. While not completely de-funded, community based abstinence education grants have sustained a $14.2 million dollar cut. National advocates are working to move Congress to eliminate funding for these programs. To read more, visit www.nationalpartnership.org.
In the News
Future of Abstinence-Only Funding is in Limbo
With the exit of the Bush administration, critics of abstinence-only sex education will be making an aggressive push to cut off federal funding for these ineffective programs. President Obama is considered an advocate of comprehensive sex education, which—unlike abstinence-only curriculum—includes advice to young people about using contraceptives if they do engage in sexual activity. However, Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor declined to elaborate on what the new president would propose in his own budget plan. To read more, visit www.nationalpartnership.org.
Research
Another Study Confirms That Virginity Pledges Do Not Work
Teens who take "virginity pledges" are just as likely to have sex as those who do not, and they are less likely to use condoms or other forms of contraception when they become sexually active, according to an analysis in the January 2009 issue Pediatrics. The authors conclude that because virginity pledge programs do not reduce the number of young people becoming sexually active, the number of pledgers they enlist should not be used to measure the effectiveness of programs that promote only abstinence. Read the full article (PDF).
New Resources
Adolescent Sexual Health in Europe and the U.S.—Why the Difference?
This new resource, available from Advocates for Youth, looks at factors that explain the dramatic difference in adolescent sexual health measures between European countries and the United States.
Answer Launches New Sex Ed Advocacy Portal for Teens
Answer at Rutgers University has launched "Your Voice, Your Rights"—the new advocacy portal on its award-winning Sex Etc. website. The "Your Voice, Your Rights" portal allows teens to create profiles where they can upload photos and video, tell their sex ed stories and talk about the sexual health issues that matter to them.
New Youth Activist Website
Amplify, a project of Advocates for Youth, is an interactive, online community dedicated to sexual health, reproductive justice and youth-led grassroots movement building.