|
Congress
takes close look at abstinence-only
Earlier this month,
Congress held the first-ever hearings on the failures of
abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. The Committee on Oversight
and
Government Reform heard from scientists, clinicians,
researchers and youth activists.
In his opening statement,
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) said: The statistics are shocking. A few
weeks ago, the CDC released data showing that
one in four
teenage girls in the U.S. has a sexually
transmitted infection. 30% of all American girls become pregnant
before the age of 20; for African-American
and Latina girls,
the rate is 50%. And thousands of teenagers and young adults in the
United
States become infected with HIV
each year. If we're serious about responding to these challenges, we
must base our policy on the best available science and evidence, not
ideology.
Arlene Zielke, Federal Legislation
Consultant
Wil-lene@sbcglobal.net 708-385-8562
| 
