The ACLU is suing USAID for documents that may shed some light on unconstitutional funding of religion in abstinence-only-until-marriage programs abroad.
Generation Life’s mission, focused on the “chastity-prolife” connection, rests on the preaching of an ossified formula of gendered behavior that is both intensely rigid and rooted in fantasy.
Research released this week on an “abstinence-only” program for young, urban African American preteens found success in delaying sex for up to 24 months, but does not support the failed ab-only-until-marriage programs of the Bush era.
The notion that men and women sure are different is at the center of best-selling books, at least one Broadway play, and pretty much all episodes of “Everybody Love Raymond.” But as much as it can be mined for humor, it can also be pretty damaging. While there is some truth to the whole “men are from Mars women are from Venus” kind of thinking, the solution isn’t, as ab-only programs would have us believe, to accept these behaviors as innate and unchangeable and let either sex (though let’s face it, mostly men) behave badly as result. Instead students should be asked to question the nature, validity, and origin of these gender stereotypes, and to explore how stereotypes affect communication within friendships and sexual relationships.
While prevention restrictions under US Global AIDS Policy were made looser in last year’s reauthorization bill, the new law includes worrisome reporting requirements for prevention programs.
On October 15th, 2009, SIECUS – the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States – held our seventh annual Back to School briefing on Capitol Hill. We use this moment to remind policymakers that a “just say no” approach is failing our kids.
October is Sex Ed Month of Action and a coalition of groups has joined together to tell Congress it’s time for the federal government to get REAL about sex education. Will your voice be heard?
A message from a teen peer educator to parents, schools and policy makers: Providing us with ‘abstinence-only-until-marriage’ programs limits our decision making abilities and puts our lives at risk.
I have to give kudos to Michael Gerson for stating in a recent Washington Post column that abstinence-only-until-marriage might be a “nice idea” for those who see these issues in religious or ideological terms, but is not feasible as a social expectation.
Advocates for evidence-based, comprehensive sex education realized two major gains in the health care reform process last night, defeating an amendment to the House Energy and Commerce Committee Affordable Health Choices Act that would have extended discredited abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, and passing another amendment introduced by Congresswman Lois Capps creating a Healthy Teen Initiative.
