September 19, 2007
Dear Governor,
You have the opportunity to provide an important public health message to the youth in your state. We encourage your acceptance of Title V Abstinence Education grant funds, which provides all the information necessary for teens to make informed choices regarding their sexual health. After receiving a FY 2008 extension for this funding by Congress, the US Department of HHS will send you a program announcement requesting your acceptance letter as well as a state plan for these funds. I hope you will make preparations now to quickly respond to the HHS request so youth can seamlessly receive this important message.
Abstinence education is a primary prevention and youth development strategy that combines holistic discussions of goal setting, healthy relationship building, decision-making, accurate information on STDs, and refusal skills in avoiding the possible consequences associated with sexual activity by youth. The good news is that this approach is working! Numerous published research articles indicate that abstinence education is effective in delaying sexual debut and contributes to the discontinuation of sexual activity among those previously experienced. Additionally, if a student becomes sexually active, those who were a part of an abstinence education class are no less likely to use condoms than others.
Don’t be confused by critics of abstinence education who employ scare tactics and misinformation in an effort to prevent youth in your state from receiving this important public health message. While these funds must be used to promote the best health message of abstinence, other federal funds can be used for so-called comprehensive sex education. In fact, there is currently a 1:10 funding disparity between abstinence education and comprehensive sex education, so there are funds presently available for both approaches.
The fact of the matter is that Title V Section 510 funding provides one of few funding streams that specifically provide the benefits of waiting for sex and the only one available in the form of a state block grant. Economically strapped school districts deserve the option to offer abstinence education to their students and your support for Title V abstinence funds may be the only way they can provide this medically accurate, optimal health message.
You probably know that social science and medical research confirms both societal and individual advantage for youth who delay sex. The youth in your state deserve and need a reasoned response to the sexual saturation they receive through virtually every other medium.
We urge you to give communities a choice for abstinence education through continued acceptance of Title V Section 510 abstinence education federal funds. If you have additional questions about abstinence education available to your state, feel free to contact me at 202 248 5420 or visit our website at www.abstinenceassociation.org.
Sincerely,
Valerie Huber
Executive Director
Cc: State Dept of Health Director
