American Civil Liberties Union : Reproductive Freedom : Sex Education

Reproductive Freedom:
The ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project protects everyone's right to make informed decisions free from government interference about whether and when to become a parent. Learn more about our work in reproductive health and take action to protect rights guaranteed to all Americans.

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READ THE BLOGS
> Sex Ed News Round Up
> Access to Abortion in Prison

TAKE ACTION
> Halt Abstinence-Only Funding
> Support Freedom of Choice
> Support Prevention First
> Support Responsible Sex Ed

Stop the Abstinence-Only Charade!
Federally funded abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are ineffective, medically inaccurate, and some may even use taxpayer dollars to promote religion. The ACLU is calling for an end to federal funding. Now it is your turn to tell Congress to stop the abstinence-only-until-marriage experiment and to start funding real sex ed!
CHECK OUT WHAT'S NEW!
> SPOKEN WORD: The Fallacy of Unicorns
> MATT BORS' COMICS: Abstinence Only Class
NEWS & OPINION
> Report: No Evidence to Fund Programs (11/7/07)
> Government Investigates OR Program (7/23/07)
> Curricula's Inaccuracies Need Fixing (5/9/07)
> Investigation of OR Program Needed (5/3/07)
> Materials May Violate Federal Law (4/26/07)
> Study Shows Programs Don't Work (4/13/07)
> TomPaine: Lies We Teach Teenagers (3/21/07)
FACT SHEETS
> Abstinence-Only Programs Don't Work
> Abstinence-Only Programs Censor Information
LETTERS TO CONGRESS
> ACLU Opposes Funding for Abstinence-Only
> 100 Organizations Opposing Abstinence-Only

Take Issue, Take Charge
Take Issue, Take Charge is a national ACLU campaign to stop government funding of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs and promote responsible sex education. Visit the TITC website to get the facts and find out what is happening in your state. For a roundup of recent news articles covering abstinence-only-until-marriage programs from across the country visit the TITC Blog.
READ THE TITC BLOG
> Sex Ed News Round Up: Halloween Edition (10/31/07)
> News Round Up: CA, FL, IL, KS, ME, and MN (10/23/07)
> Compromising Teens' Health (10/19/07)
> Decline in Abortion Rates Correspond with Increased Access to Contraception, Yet Bush Administration Pushes Abstinence-Only (10/12/07)
> Congress Once Again Extends Abstinence-Only Funding (10/1/07)
> New York Rejects Federal Abstinence-Only Dollars! (9/21/07)
> News Round Up: CO, KS, MD, MA, & MO (9/10/07)
> Editorial Support for Comprehensive Sex Ed & Sex Ed and the State (9/6/07)
> Fantastic win in Brevard County, Florida! (8/15/07)
> News Round Up: Congress Rolls Over, FL, MD & SC (7/31/07)
> Former Surgeon General Silenced on Abstinence-Only (7/12/07)
> News Round Up: MN, NY & OK (6/18/07)
> Halt Funding Increase for Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs (6/8/07)
> You've got to be kidding me. (6/7/07)

Reproductive Freedom : Sex Education : Press Releases

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Evidence Once Again Shows Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs Don’t Work (04/23/2008)
Washington, DC – The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will hold a hearing today titled "Domestic Abstinence-Only Programs: Assessing the Evidence." The ACLU applauds Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) for bringing new attention to this deeply troubling policy and the committee’s willingness to examine the public health policy implications of abstinence-only programs. We look forward to the testimony of scientists, clinicians, researchers and youth activists who will report on the failures of abstinence-only education programs.

ACLU of Arizona Applauds Governor’s Rejection of Abstinence-Only Funds (01/18/2008)
PHOENIX - The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona today applauded Governor Janet Napolitano’s decision to reject funding for the state’s abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, which have proven ineffective, inaccurate, and gender-biased.

Report Finds No Evidence to Continue Funding Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs (11/07/2007)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today said a new report reviewing the effectiveness of 115 sex education programs provides strong evidence that it is time for the federal government to support comprehensive sex education programs. This report comes at the same time Congress is poised to again increase funding for abstinence-only-until marriage programs.

ACLU Disappointed in Congressional Failure to Protect Teen Health (11/02/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed frustration in Congress for its passage of a $28 million increase in the Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) program. This increase is the second largest in the history of the program, despite recent studies revealing that such abstinence-only-until-marriage programs censor vital health care information, promote outdated and untrue gender stereotypes, discriminate against LGBT teens, and in some cases, promote religion in violation of the Constitution.

ACLU of Florida Lauds School Board's Vote to Revise Sex Education Curriculum (08/15/2007)
MELBOURNE, FL- The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today praised the efforts of Brevard County Superintendent Richard A. DiPatri whose recommended sex education curriculum revisions were approved by a 3-2 vote at last night's school board meeting. The Superintendent's revisions were supported by the votes of school board members Barbara Murray, Larry E. Hughes, and Chairman Robert Jordan.

Reproductive Freedom : Sex Education : Publications

How public health professionals are getting involved to ensure that teens have access to the information they need to make healthy and responsible decisions (11/12/2007)

Reproductive Freedom : Sex Education : Legal Documents

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ACLU of Oregon Reply Letter to Oregon Department of Human Services (07/23/2007)

Letter to ACLU from Department of Health and Human Services - July 12, 2007 (07/23/2007)

Letter to ACLU of Oregon from Oregon Department of Human Services - May 18, 2007 (07/23/2007)

Letter to ACLU of Oregon from Department of Health and Human Services - July 12, 2007 (07/23/2007)

Letter to DHS Re: Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funding for Lane Pregnancy Support Center (05/03/2007)

Reproductive Freedom : Sex Education : Legislative Documents

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ACLU Written Statement For a Hearing on Domestic Abstinence-Only Programs: Assessing the Evidence (04/23/2008)