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Along with ACLU affiliates nationwide, the ACLU of PA is a participant of the national ACLU's Take Issue, Take Charge campaign to oppose federally-funded, fear-based abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that have repeatedly proven ineffective in reducing STD transmission and lowering the rates of teenage pregnancy. The harmful implications surrounding misguided abstinence-only-until-marriage programs transcend education and are far-reaching. The ACLU stands against these programs because they interact with LGBT rights interfere with LGBT rights, reproductive freedom and the separation of church and state- all matters on which the ACLU has traditionally taken strong stances.
Since Obama entered office, most of the funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage education has ended. Currently, Obama's Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), in coordination with his Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI), has created federal funding streams of close to $200 million collectively. These new monieswill work to fund much-needed programs that focus student learning on scientifically-proven and medically-accurate information - information teens need to remain healthy.
Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs present medically inaccurate, biased information about sex and sexuality to young people, leaving them ill-equipped to prevent unwanted pregnancies and protect themselve from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Without access to accurate information about sex and sexuality, youth nationwide are being left unable to fully exercise their reproductive freedom.
Due to the scope of this issue, the ACLU has a unique opportunity to partner with broad array of organizations- LGBT groups, public health officials, HIV/AIDS organizations, school personnel, parents, students, and clinicians. The Duvall Project co-chairs the coalition of Pennsylvanians for Responsible Sex Education (PARSE)- a group of organizations that maintains a desire to see comprehensive sex education reach all of Pennsylvania's students. PARSE has taken a leadership role in advocating for comprehensive sex education and has worked closely with Rep. Chelsa Wagner (D- Allegheny) on developing and supporting the passage of The Healthy Youth Act (HB 1163). The Healthy Youth Act would create a minimum standard of medically accurate, unbiased, comprehensive sex education to be taught in Pennsylvania public schools.
With positive funding changes at the federal level, our work in support of quality sex education serves several purposes. By promoting comprehensive sex education, we can ensure that the rights of LGBT students are protected and that their concerns are part of the curricular changes. Similarly, we can monitor school programs for medically inaccurate, religious, and discriminatory content. Though not all abstinence-only funding has been eliminated from the federal budget, we will be monitoring all funds and how the situation plays out here in Pennsylvania.
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For more information regarding sex education, check out our fact sheets and resources. Be sure to contact us at duvall@aclupa.org if you discover that a program in your area includes religious, medically inaccurate, discriminatory, or misleading information.
Fact Sheets and Resources
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