ACLU of Kentucky

Stop the Abstinence-Only Charade!

Federally funded abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are ineffective, medically inaccurate, and some may even use taxpayer dollars to promote religion.  The ACLU is calling for an end to federal funding.  Now it is your turn to tell Congress and your state legislature to stop the abstinence-only-until-marriage experiment and to start funding real sex ed!

For more information visit the Take Issue, Take Charge website - the national ACLU campaign to stop government funding of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs and promote responsible sex education.  To visit the Take Issue, Take Charge website click here -   Take Issue, Take Charge

A few facts:

In Kentucky, the teen pregnancy rate is nearly 19% higher than the national average.   Although teen pregnancy rates are decreasing, there are still nearly 750,000 teen pregnancies each year.   Nearly 80 percent of teen pregnancies among 15- to 19-year olds are unintended. 

About half of teens are having sex and nearly two-thirds  will have had sex by their senior year in high school.

One in four young girls between the ages of 14 and 19 in the United States – or 3.2 million teenage girls are infected with a sexually transmitted infection (STI).  

Nine million new cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) occurred among 15-24 year-olds in 2000.  The total cost was $6.5 billion.

An average of two young people in the United States are infected with HIV every hour of every day.  African Americans and Hispanic youth have been disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

More than eight out of ten Americans believe that young people should have information about protecting themselves from unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

Nearly half of all teen males do not receive any formal education about birth control or STIs before having sex for the first time.

A large-scale federally-funded evaluation of abstinence-only programs found no measurable impact on increasing abstinence or delaying sexual initiation among participating youth.  Instead, these programs decreased adolescents’ confidence regarding the ability of condoms to prevent HIV and other STIs.

Research shows that teenagers who receive sexuality education that includes discussion of contraception are more likely than those who receive abstinence-only messages to delay sexual activity and to use contraceptives when they do become sexually active.

The overwhelming weight of scientific evidence suggests that addressing abstinence and contraception does not increase sexual activity.

Seventy-six percent of voters strongly favor Congress requiring public schools to teach comprehensive sex education, which includes information about contraception, abstinence, and how to avoid sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.  Only 14% of voters support abstinence-only programs. 

Seventy-six percent of voters strongly favor legislation to require public schools to inform parents about whether or not their children are being taught the risks and benefits of contraception and how to prevent diseases such as HIV and AIDS. 

The American Medical Association (AMA), the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Public Health Association (APHA), and the Society of Adolescent Medicine (SAM), support responsible sexuality education that includes information about both abstinence and contraception.

In order to make our voice heard we will hold a press conference for comprehensive-medically-accurate-sexuality education.   Representative Mary Lou Marzian and Senator Kathy Stein will introduce bills in their respective houses that seek to provide Kentucky’s students with education about their reproductive health.  This bill would require that sexual education in Kentucky be age-appropriate and medically accurate, which includes information about contraception, be inclusive of LGBTQI students and their families, and seeks to have parents involved in their child’s education. 

You can also check out the websites of some of our allies for Reproductive Justice!

Planned Parenthood Federation of America

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States

Sister Song Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective

Teen Wire: A Site Specifically Designed for Teens