Oppose Appropriation of Funds for Abstinence-Only-Until Marriage Programs During the House Appropriation Committee’s Consideration of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Spending Bill

Dear Representative:

As you consider appropriations for Fiscal Year 2007, the American Civil Liberties Union urges you to oppose appropriation of any money for abstinence-only-until marriage education programs.

Despite statistics that demonstrate a high level of sexual activity among U.S. teens, Congress has allocated close to a billion dollars since 1996 for educational programs that focus exclusively on abstinence and censor other information that can help young people make responsible, healthy, and safe decisions about sexual activity.   In recent years, federal lawmakers have steadily increased federal funding for abstinence-only-until marriage programs to more than $165 million annually.  In sharp contrast, no federal funds are dedicated to supporting comprehensive sexual education programs that teach both abstinence and contraceptive use. 

While the discussion of abstinence is an important component of any educational program about human sexuality, federally funded programs that focus exclusively on abstinence raise serious health and civil liberties concerns.  

Statistics reveal that teens need information about contraception and sexual health: nearly two-thirds of all high school seniors in the U.S. have had sexual intercourse; approximately 822,000 pregnancies occurred among 15-19 year old women in 2000; and each year, approximately 9.1 million 15-24 year olds are infected with sexually transmitted infections.  Abstinence-only education grantees, however, are censored in the information they can provide to students.  To receive funds, grantees must offer programs with the “exclusive purpose” of teaching the benefits of abstinence programs, and may not provide a participating adolescent with any information that is inconsistent with the narrow eight-point definition of abstinence-only education.  Consequently, recipients of abstinence-only dollars may not advocate contraceptive use or teach contraceptive methods -- even if a teen directly asks for this information -- except to emphasize their failure rates.  These programs thus leave teens without information critical to protecting their health and preventing pregnancy. 

Worse still, many federally funded abstinence-only programs present teens with inaccurate information.  A 2004 study conducted by the United States House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform found that eleven of the thirteen abstinence-only curricula used by SPRANS programs “contain major errors and distortions about public health information,” including HIV and other STD prevention, pregnancy prevention, and condom effectiveness.  In light of recent research highlighting the lack of medical accuracy and ineffectiveness of these programs, and at a time when the Administration emphasizes accountability in funding only programs with demonstrated success, the continued funding of unproven programs is especially troubling.  

Finally, in violation of First Amendment guarantees, many federally funded abstinence-only programs contain religious teachings about proper sexual behavior and values.  Although federal funding guidelines do not permit abstinence-only grantees to convey overt religious messages or to impose religious viewpoints, in practice, many of these programs do precisely that.  For example, the ACLU recently filed a federal suit, ACLU v. Leavitt, challenging, on First Amendment establishment clause grounds, the use of federal dollars to support an overtly religious abstinence-only program called The Silver Ring Thing, which has been awarded more than $1 million dollars in federal money over the last three years.  During the Silver Ring Thing's flagship three-hour program, members testify about how accepting Jesus Christ improved their lives, quote Bible passages, and urge audience members to ask the Lord Jesus Christ to come into their lives.  As a result of the ACLU’s lawsuit, federal officials suspended federal funding of the Silver Ring Thing.  And, in February 2006, the ACLU announced a settlement with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), under which HHS agreed that it will not fund the program as it is currently structured

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The ACLU urges you to oppose appropriation of any money for abstinence-only-until marriage education programs.

Sincerely,

Caroline Fredrickson
Director

Gregory T. Nojeim
Associate Director and Chief Legislative Counsel