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Many basic teen pregnancy prevention programs in Pennsylvania have proven track records of helping our youth. Yet, instead of funding these programs, millions of tax dollars have been poured into biased and inaccurate abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. Once again, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) has included earmarks for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in Pennsylvania in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS) appropriations bill. As Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees Labor-HHS funding levels, Senator Specter has great discretion over funds within the Labor-HHS appropriations bills. For Fiscal Year 2007, Senator Specter has provided earmarks to 29 abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in Pennsylvania to the tune of $2.9 million! These tax payer dollars were taken from the "funds for child abuse discretionary activities." The Senate has already granted $176 million toward these programs nationwide through three traditional abstinence-only-until-marriage funding streams. In combination with the earmarks, $12 million will go to abstinence-only-until-marriage programming in Pennsylvania alone! This means that Pennsylvania will be spending $12 million on programs that don't work. A 2004 evaluation of PA's abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula, conducted by Penn State's Prevention Research Center and commissioned by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, found that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in Pennsylvania were "largely ineffective" in reducing the onset of sexual activity and recommended that the state adopt a more comprehensive approach to sex education--one that would include the benefits of abstinence in addition to information about contraception. The abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that will receive the earmarked funds harm Pennsylvania's youth by providing them with medically inaccurate information and by censoring topics important to their health and well-being. Since Pennsylvania has made a concerted effort to reject federal abstinence-only-until-marriage funding, Senator Specter should respect the wishes of the people of Pennsylvania and STOP earmarking funds that could be spent on initiatives that actually work. Help Make Sure Teens (and Taxpayers) Receive Funding for Programs that Work!Write a letter to Senator Specter Write a letter to the editor Ask your kids (or teens in your life) about what they're being taught about sex and sexuality Ask your school district what curricula they are using to teach students about sex and sexuality Learn more about how you can help the ACLU-PA urge school districts to reject abstinence-only-until-marriage programs and implement comprehensive sexuality education by contacting us at duvall@aclupa.org.
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