“We realize that the Committee responded to a problem,” said Valerie Huber, Executive Director, NAEA, “but we do not agree that putting sixth graders on the Pill should be the final solution.”
“What the Portland School Committee should consider are ways to teach students who are not learning in their homes the healthiest ways to build relationships, and set goals and boundaries for themselves. Abstinence Education provides these kinds of pro-active methods, along with information on contraception and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), but always in the context that abstinence is the healthiest decision.”
“Whenever an 11-year old is having sex, there is a problem much bigger than whether or not she will become pregnant” explained Huber, “because a child that young who has the opportunity to have sex - let alone feels she is mature enough to deal with the physical and emotional effects of intercourse - is, in most cases, seeking intimacy and approval because it is void on all other levels in her life.”
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About NAEA: The National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA) is comprised of leading abstinence educators and supporters who represent 1.5 million children across the U.S.
For more information: http://www.abstinenceassociation.org
To schedule an interview with NAEA Executive Director Valerie Huber, please contact Patra Stephan at 202-248-5420 or 202-246-3822.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patra Stephan, Communications Director,
202.248.5420
October 18, 2007