Stephanie Tubbs Jones: “I rise in opposition to increased funding for `abstinence-only' programs under the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations…”

“I rise in opposition to increased funding for `abstinence-only' programs under the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill. Ideology, not science, has been driving America's response to the devastating problem of teen pregnancy and STD/HIV infection. Funding for restrictive abstinence-only programs are dramatically increasing. All told, abstinence-only programs have received over half a billion dollars in federal funds since 1997, and the Bush administration requested an unprecedented increase to $273 million in fiscal year 2005. This huge investment of taxpayer funds in abstinence-only programs conflict with scientific and medical research: abstinence-only programs have never been proven effective and may result in riskier behavior by teenagers. Responsible sex education programs, on the other hand, have demonstrated positive results such as delayed initiation of sex, reduced frequency of sex, and increased contraceptive use. Ideologically driven groups, not scientific or public health organizations, have pushed the proliferation of abstinence-only programs. In fact, current scientific research fails to show that abstinence-only programs are effective. In 2001, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy found no credible studies of abstinence-only programs showing any significant impact on participants' initiation of or frequency of sex. By denying adolescents complete information and by censoring teachers, abstinence-only programs endanger our youth.”