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It's been a 10-year fight to end funding for damaging and ineffective abstinence-only education programs â€" programs that completely ignore and dismiss the existence of LGBT youth, the realities of their lives and their critical health information needs. President Obama has called to eliminate abstinence-only programs, and Democrats in the House and Senate have held firm through budget negotiations. And yet…
Despite all of these efforts, funding for abstinence-only-until marriage programs is back. On Wednesday evening, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) pushed through an amendment in the Senate Finance Committee authorizing $50 million in funding for abstinence-only programs as part of Health Care Reform - despite more than 10 years of evidence that these programs do not work!
By a razor-thin vote of 12-11, the Senators on the Finance Committee conceded to this dangerous ideology ensuring a victory over science and common sense. With the passage of the Hatch Amendment, the bill advances to the full Senate for a vote, which is why it is more important than ever that we send a clear message to the United States Senate: Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs wereâ€"and continue to beâ€"a dangerous experiment, spreading ignorance instead of education. It’s time to move education forward. Together, we can end these harmful programs.
We are too close to finally ending federal funding for failed abstinence-only programs. Please click on TAKE ACTION and tell your Senators it's time to stop these programs once and for all!
In an effort to defeat this amendment and ensure the passage of the Real Education about Life (REAL) Act of 2009, PFLAG continues to work with coalition partners around the country. We recently supported the launch of the October National Sex Education Month of Action, in an effort to build support in Congress and across the country for the REAL Act and comprehensive sex education.
This fight has been long, but with the end in sight it is more important than ever that we make our voices heard. Please be sure to take the following steps:
• Email your Senators. To learn the name of your U.S. Senators and locate their in-district contact information, go to http://capwiz.com/pflag/dbq/officials/ and enter your zip code.
• Bring the Message Home. Please be sure to visit www.thomas.gov and type in S. 611 to see if your Senators have co-sponsoredonsored the REAL Act of 2009; if they have, please be sure to thank them when sending the note below. If they haven’t, please encourage them to co-sponsor this bill with the following message:
Subject: Don’t Fail Our Children: Please Strip the Hatch Amendment from Health Care Reform
As a member of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, I am shocked and outraged that the Senate Finance Committee passed the Hatch Amendment earlier this week, reinstating $50 million in funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs as part of Health Care Reform.
As your constituent and as someone who cares about the future of young people in the United States, I am writing to ask you to strip the Hatch Amendment from the final Health Care Reform bill in the Senate. Health Care Reform is a critically important task for this Congress and it should not be hijacked by ideologically-motivated earmarks. Moreover, study after study has shown that abstinence-only programs have no effect whatsoever. It is time for the federal government to stop wasting taxpayer dollars on these failed programs.
I stand with the millions of Americans who support teaching both abstinence and contraception. A 2004 survey by National Public Radio/Kaiser Family Foundation /Harvard University Kennedy School of Government found that 86 percent of voters want young people to receive a comprehensive approach to sex education that includes learning about both abstinence and contraception.
Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs ignore scientific research, the recommendations of medical experts, overwhelming public opinion, and basic common sense.
As Health Care Reform moves forward in the Senate, you have the power to stand up for our children and strip the Hatch Amendment from the final bill.
Young people all across America are counting on you to do the right thing. And so am I.
Thank you
Your Name, PFLAG Member
Email now and continue to email your Senators until they vote on this bill.
Please be sure to let us know when you reach out to your Senator (and if you get a response) by contacting us.
Despite all of these efforts, funding for abstinence-only-until marriage programs is back. On Wednesday evening, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) pushed through an amendment in the Senate Finance Committee authorizing $50 million in funding for abstinence-only programs as part of Health Care Reform - despite more than 10 years of evidence that these programs do not work!
By a razor-thin vote of 12-11, the Senators on the Finance Committee conceded to this dangerous ideology ensuring a victory over science and common sense. With the passage of the Hatch Amendment, the bill advances to the full Senate for a vote, which is why it is more important than ever that we send a clear message to the United States Senate: Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs wereâ€"and continue to beâ€"a dangerous experiment, spreading ignorance instead of education. It’s time to move education forward. Together, we can end these harmful programs.
We are too close to finally ending federal funding for failed abstinence-only programs. Please click on TAKE ACTION and tell your Senators it's time to stop these programs once and for all!
In an effort to defeat this amendment and ensure the passage of the Real Education about Life (REAL) Act of 2009, PFLAG continues to work with coalition partners around the country. We recently supported the launch of the October National Sex Education Month of Action, in an effort to build support in Congress and across the country for the REAL Act and comprehensive sex education.
This fight has been long, but with the end in sight it is more important than ever that we make our voices heard. Please be sure to take the following steps:
• Email your Senators. To learn the name of your U.S. Senators and locate their in-district contact information, go to http://capwiz.com/pflag/dbq/officials/ and enter your zip code.
• Bring the Message Home. Please be sure to visit www.thomas.gov and type in S. 611 to see if your Senators have co-sponsoredonsored the REAL Act of 2009; if they have, please be sure to thank them when sending the note below. If they haven’t, please encourage them to co-sponsor this bill with the following message:
Subject: Don’t Fail Our Children: Please Strip the Hatch Amendment from Health Care Reform
As a member of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, I am shocked and outraged that the Senate Finance Committee passed the Hatch Amendment earlier this week, reinstating $50 million in funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs as part of Health Care Reform.
As your constituent and as someone who cares about the future of young people in the United States, I am writing to ask you to strip the Hatch Amendment from the final Health Care Reform bill in the Senate. Health Care Reform is a critically important task for this Congress and it should not be hijacked by ideologically-motivated earmarks. Moreover, study after study has shown that abstinence-only programs have no effect whatsoever. It is time for the federal government to stop wasting taxpayer dollars on these failed programs.
I stand with the millions of Americans who support teaching both abstinence and contraception. A 2004 survey by National Public Radio/Kaiser Family Foundation /Harvard University Kennedy School of Government found that 86 percent of voters want young people to receive a comprehensive approach to sex education that includes learning about both abstinence and contraception.
Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs ignore scientific research, the recommendations of medical experts, overwhelming public opinion, and basic common sense.
As Health Care Reform moves forward in the Senate, you have the power to stand up for our children and strip the Hatch Amendment from the final bill.
Young people all across America are counting on you to do the right thing. And so am I.
Thank you
Your Name, PFLAG Member
Email now and continue to email your Senators until they vote on this bill.
Please be sure to let us know when you reach out to your Senator (and if you get a response) by contacting us.
When the Senate Finance Committee started debating the healthcare reform bill earlier this week, an amendment to fund comprehensive sex education was approved. This is in contrast to the abstinence-only education that has been and is currently on the curriculum in most schools (and is promoted by the federal government).
According to the press release from SIECUS, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States,
The Senate Finance Committee approved an amendment offered by Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) to fund a comprehensive sex education funding stream, The Personal Responsibility Education for Adulthood Training. The amendment provid provides $75 million for states; $50 million of which would be geared to evidence-based, medically accurate, age-appropriate programs to educate adolescents about both abstinence and contraception in order to prevent unintended teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. The remaining funds would be for innovative programs as well as research and evaluation. The amendment passed 14â€"9 with Republican Senator Olympia Snowe (ME) joining all the Democrats voting in favor.
There was also a vote on an amendment introduced by Senator Orin Hatch (R-UT) that reinstated funding for the failed Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage program which had expired on June 30, 2009. The amendment passed 12â€"11 with Democratic Senators Blanche Lincoln (AR) and Kent Conrad (ND) joining all the Republicans on the Committee in favor. Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage funding had been refused by nearly half of the states both because of the restrictive nature of the program and the fact that overwhelming evidence has proven these programs to be ineffective and a waste of taxpayer dollars. This amendment would direct $50 million a year through FY 2014 for the extension of the Title V abstinence-only programs.
Both amendments still face several potential hurdles in committee, on the Senate floor, and in conference with the House before they become law.
To read the entire press release, click here.
According to the press release from SIECUS, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States,
The Senate Finance Committee approved an amendment offered by Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) to fund a comprehensive sex education funding stream, The Personal Responsibility Education for Adulthood Training. The amendment provid provides $75 million for states; $50 million of which would be geared to evidence-based, medically accurate, age-appropriate programs to educate adolescents about both abstinence and contraception in order to prevent unintended teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. The remaining funds would be for innovative programs as well as research and evaluation. The amendment passed 14â€"9 with Republican Senator Olympia Snowe (ME) joining all the Democrats voting in favor.
There was also a vote on an amendment introduced by Senator Orin Hatch (R-UT) that reinstated funding for the failed Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage program which had expired on June 30, 2009. The amendment passed 12â€"11 with Democratic Senators Blanche Lincoln (AR) and Kent Conrad (ND) joining all the Republicans on the Committee in favor. Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage funding had been refused by nearly half of the states both because of the restrictive nature of the program and the fact that overwhelming evidence has proven these programs to be ineffective and a waste of taxpayer dollars. This amendment would direct $50 million a year through FY 2014 for the extension of the Title V abstinence-only programs.
Both amendments still face several potential hurdles in committee, on the Senate floor, and in conference with the House before they become law.
To read the entire press release, click here.
When I sent my sons to school, I knew they would have to worry about homework and standardized tests, as well as the social pressure to be popular, athletic, and cool. What I didn’t know, and what too few parents realize even today, is that many kids go to school worrying about much more than their grades or their place on the baseball team. Far too many of our children experience school as a frightening place filled with violence and fear.
- Up to 80 percent of adolescents report being bullied during their school years.
- Around 160,000 school children stay home from school each day out of fear, often without telling their parents why.
- Children targeted by bullies experience higher than normal levels of insecurity, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and physical and mental symptoms.
- Adults who were bullies as children have higher rates of substance abuse, domestic violence, and other violent crimes.
- The percentage of students who report being bullied rose 50 percent from 1983 to 2003.
- More than 86 percent of students who identify as LGBT report being verbally harassed, 44 percent have been physically harassed, and 22 percent report being physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.
Right now, too few adults understand the issues around school safety, and those who do recognize that there is a problem don’t know what to do about it. That’shat’s why it’s absolutely critical that we expand opportunities to educate parents, teachers, and administrators about school violence.
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools Kevin Jennings has a tremendous record of dedication to our children and our schools. He has devoted his career to an issue that requires attention from all of us: making schools safe places where our children can focus on learning.
By diverting our focus from the verbal and physical bullying and harassment that take place in schools every day to spend time discussing “should have’s†from years ago, we risk losing sight of the important work being done now to address and prevent school violence.
Our children deserve to go to school without fear. They also deserve parents, families, and teachers who will advocate on their behalf. For their sake, we can’t afford to divert more time from this profound issue. We should empower the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools to do the work that will help protect our children and create safer schools and communities. Otherwise, our children continue to lose out.
John R. Cepek
President
Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
John R. CepekPresident
Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
Because of what you did last year at the company picnic, they said said we we’re only allowed one alcoholic beverage each. No worries though…I brought the cups!
This month, In The Life looks at how LGBT people living on the economic margins of our society are organizing themselves to find housing, improve their professional skills, and obtain employment and health care. For more information, visit In The Life by clicking here!
Our goal was to create a hypothetical gay couple whose situation would be similar to a heterosexual couple’s. So we gave the couple two children and assumed that one partner would stay home for five years to take care of them. We also considered the taxes in the three states that have the highest estimated [...]
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