Secular Coalition for America thanks Senate Appropriators for voting to reduce abstinence-only funding
The Secular Coalition for America thanks the 26 Senate Appropriators who voted on June 26th to decrease Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) programs in the FY2009 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill.
The Secular Coalition firmly believes that federal funding should be directed toward comprehensive sex education programs and that medical science, not religious ideology, should direct sex education policy.
The Senators who voted to pass the legislation are as follows: Alexander, L. (R-TN); Bennett (R-UT) ; Bond (R-MO); Byrd (D-WV); Cochran (R-MS) ; Craig (R-ID); Domenici (R-NM); Dorgan (D-ND); Durbin (D-IL); Feinstein (D-CA); Harkin (D-IA); Hutchison (R-TX); Inouye (D-HI); Johnson, Tim (D-SD); Kohl (D-WI); Landrieu (D-LA); Lautenberg (D-NJ); Leahy (D-VT); McConnell (R-KY); Mikulski (D-MD); Murray (D-WA); Nelson, Ben (D-NE); Reed, J. (D-RI); Shelby (R-AL); Specter (R-PA); Stevens (R-AK).
July 9, 2008
The Honorable _______________________
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator ______________
Thank you for voting to reverse a dangerous trend in public health policy by cutting abstinence-only funding by 25% in the FY2009 Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education spending bill.
Abstinence-only programs, which censor important public health information about contraception, have experienced an astonishing 475% increase in just the last five years. By voting to substantially reduce abstinence-only education funding, you have demonstrated that you care more about protecting the health and safety of our nation's children than promoting one particular religious perspective.
As you know, abstinence-only programs are ineffective and provide false and misleading information. Government-funded abstinence-only education curricula do more than simply leave out information on safe sex, many also contain false and misleading "medical" statements and teach religious propaganda and theologically driven gender stereotypes to our children. Abstinence-only education is not serving these students and, in fact, has left them without the knowledge they need to protect themselves from diseases and unwanted pregnancy.
The mission of the Secular Coalition for America is to increase the visibility and respectability of nontheistic viewpoints in the United States and to protect and strengthen the secular character of our government as the best guarantee of freedom for all.
Thank you for choosing to reduce the funding for flawed abstinence-only programs. We must work to ensure that medical science, not religious ideology, directs sex education policy.
Sincerely,
Lori Lipman Brown
Director