ADOLESCENT SEX EDUCATION AND SEXUAL HEALTH

Support a Comprehensive Approach

Comprehensive sex education programs have been shown to effectively delay sexual activity, increase condom use and decrease the number of sexual partners. Thus, the programs are a critical tool in preventing HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancies. People of all ages, and particularly our nations young people, have the need for sexual health information to help them take personal responsibility for their health and well-being throughout their lives.1,2,3 Congress has the opportunity to improve comprehensive sex education and adolescent sexual health in the United States through the following actions:

APRIL 2829, 2014

Support the Reauthorization of the Personal Responsibility Education Program Eliminate federal abstinence-only-until-marriage programs by repealing the Ti Co-sponsor the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act (REHYA), HR 725/S 372, and
The Need
While U.S. teen pregnancy and birth rates are declining, disparities persist, and the country continues to have the highest rate of teen pregnancy among comparable countries.4 In addition, young people, ages 1324, accounted for more than a quarter of new HIV infections in 2010 and 33% of all chlamydia cases in 2011. Also, 27% of all gonorrhea cases were among individuals 19 years of age or younger.5 In fact, half of the nearly 20 million estimated new sexually transmitted infections each year in the United States occur among people ages 15-24.6

(PREP) and increased funding for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI) and the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH). tle V Abstinence Education program and ending funding for the Competitive Abstinence Education (CAE) grant program. the Repealing Ineffective and Incomplete Abstinence-Only Program Funding Act (Repeal Bill), HR 3774.

YOUNG PEOPLE AGES 1324 ACCOUNTED FOR MORE THAN A QUARTER OF NEW HIV INFECTIONS IN 2010.

as well as skill development related to relationships. CSE provides adolescents the essential knowledge and critical skills needed to avoid unintended pregnancy, as well as HIV and other STDs. Comprehensive programs are effective in helping young people delay sexual activity and in increasing contraceptive use when they do have sex.7 Professional health organizations and parents agree that young people should receive CSE.8

Evidence-Based Criteria
To ensure federally funded adolescent sexual health promotion programs are effective and uphold the rights of young people, these programs should undergo a multipronged review to ensure not just their efficacy in improving health outcomes, but also their medical accuracy and age-appropriateness, as well as their adherence to inclusive content standards addressing a range of human sexuality. This assessment should occur before a program is

What Is Comprehensive Sex Education?

Comprehensive sex education (CSE) provides evidence-informed, medically accurate, and developmentally appropriate sexual health information responsive to the needs of all young people. Taught by trained teachers throughout students school years, CSE includes information about human development, abstinence, contraception, disease and pregnancy prevention,

ADOLESCENT SEX EDUCATION AND SEXUAL HEALTH: SUPPORT A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH

added to any federal agency-approved evidence-based programs list.

Co-sponsor CSE and Adolescent Health Promotion Bills

The Real Education for Healthy Youth Act (REHYA), HR 725/S 372, introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), currently has the support of 57 co-sponsors in the House and six co-sponsors in the Senate. The bill builds on existing federal programs by setting forth a policy vision for CSE, providing young people with the information and skills they need to make informed, responsible and healthy decisions. The legislation outlines federal funding requirements for new initiatives for young people in institutions of higher education; establishes a pre- and in-service teacher training program for K-12 sex educators; and amends current federal laws to enable LGBT inclusive education and allow contraceptive distribution in schools. The Repealing Ineffective and Incomplete Abstinence-Only Program Funding Act (Repeal Bill), HR 3774, also introduced by Rep. Lee is currently co-sponsored by 21 representatives. The legislation would eliminate Title V Section 510 of the Social Security Act, ending funding for the statutory abstinence-only-until-marriage program, and reprogram these funds into PREP.
1 Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Impact of HIV and sexual health education on the

Support Adolescent Sexual Health Promotion Programs

Congress provides funding for evidence-based, medically accurate, and age-appropriate sexual health information and education programs through the authorized Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) and two annually funded programs, the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Adolescent School Health (DASH). While not strictly funding comprehensive sex education, these programs provide critical sexual health information to young people through states, community or faith-based organizations, or public and private entities; and in the case of DASH, provides invaluable assistance in assuring the quality of the sexual health education provided in our nations schools. In fiscal year 2015, the reauthorization of PREP, TPPI funding of $130 million and $8.5 million in evaluation funds, and $50 million for DASH (including $3 million for evaluation) will increase the number of young people these programs reach and expand the number of effective sex education programs that equip young people with the information and skills they need to make informed and healthy decisions.

Eliminate Federal Abstinence-Only-Until Marriage Programs

Since 1982, more than $1.7 billion in federal dollars has been spent on incomplete, ineffective and shaming abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. While these funding streams have been reduced over the last four years, $55 million was allocated for the Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage (AOUM) program and the Competitive Abstinence Education (CAE) grant program in FY 2014. Both programs must adhere to a strict definition of abstinence education resulting in the prohibition of teaching young people about the benefits of condoms and contraception, and failing to respond to the needs of young people who are already sexually active or engaged in same-sex relationships. Continued funding of these programs not only ignores the advice of experts and years of studies demonstrating such programs ineffectiveness,9 but also undermines the wishes and preferences of most parents who support comprehensive sex education.10

sexual behaviour of young people: a review update. 1997. http://data.unaids.org/Publications/IRC-pub01/jc010-impactyoungpeople_en.pdf

2 Institute of Medicine, Committee on HIV Prevention Strategies in the United States. No Time to Lose:

Getting More from HIV Prevention. 2001. www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=9964 findings on programs to reduce teen pregnancy. 2001. www.urban.org/events/thursdayschild/upload/Sarah-Brown-Handout.pdf

3 Kirby D, National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Emerging answers: research

4 Hamilton BE, et al. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Vital Statistics Report.

Births: preliminary data for 2011. October 3, 2012. www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr61/nvsr61_05.pdf

5 CDC. STD trends in the United States: 2011 national data for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. March

2013. www.cdc.gov/std/stats11/trends-2011.pdf; CDC. HIV surveillance report, supplemental report: estimated HIV incidence in the United States, 2007-2010. December 2012. www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/statistics_hssr_vol_17_no_4.pdf
6 CDC. Reported STDs in the United States. January 2014.

www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/STD-Trends-508.pdf
7 Manlove J, et al. Contraceptive use and consistency in U.S. teenagers most recent sexual relationships.

Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. November/December 2004. www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3626504.html

8 SIECUS. In good company: who supports comprehensive sexuality education? October 2007.

http://siecus.org/_data/global/images/In%20Good%20Company-SIECUS-%2010.07.pdf; National Public Radio, Kaiser Family Foundation, Harvard University. Sex education in America: general public/parents survey. January 2004. www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2004/jan/kaiserpoll/publicfinal.pdf
9 Trenholm

C, et al. Impacts of four title V, section 510 abstinence education programs: final report. Mathematica Policy Research Inc. April 2007. www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/pdfs/impactabstinence.pdf
10 National Public Radio, Kaiser Family Foundation, Harvard University. Sex education in America:

general public/parents survey. January 2004. www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2004/jan/kaiserpoll/publicfinal.pdf

APRIL 2829, 2014

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: amfAR + AIDS Project Los Angeles + Bristol-Myers Squibb + Campaign to End AIDS + CommunityEducationGroup.org + fhi360 + Human Rights Campaign Foundation + International Association of Providers of AIDS Care + Legacy Community Health Services + National Minority AIDS Council + Pozitively Healthy