Abstinence Education ALERT

How You Can Help Us Continue Providing Abstinence Education to The Youth

of Our Community (link to parent site and teacher site)

Many of you have heard about Governor Strickland’s announcement that he will not support the continuance of Abstinence Education funding in Ohio. Positive Choices of Toledo, Ohio, has been providing Abstinence Education since 1986 and in the public schools of Toledo since 1997.  Last year alone over 4,832 students participated in both in school and after school programs.  Positive Choices also expanded its programming to serve special needs youth as well as special populations including high risk students, youth in residential treatment, and women in shelters. Positive Choices, in its Office on Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention project, completed 2 years of rigorous longitudinal evaluation, and subsequently presented at two national evaluation conferences. Positive Choices applied for the National Abstinence Clearinghouse Best Practices in Abstinence Education in 2006 and is currently in the final phase. Positive Choices has continued to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback and evaluations on our customer service and programs.

Many of you have asked how you can help and we thank you for that.  The most helpful thing that you can do to help us is to write letters to your federal and state level congressmen/women.  Below are a variety of facts to include in a letter.  At the end is a list of political representatives from this area.

Some important facts:

Abstinence education is the healthiest choice.

·        Physical sexual health is optimal when teens are abstinent.

·        Emotional health is improved when teens are abstinent.

·        Youth deserve the healthiest message for their sexual health.

Numerous peer-reviewed studies verify that abstinence education is working.

·        Fewer teens are having sex.

·        Teens are having fewer sexual partners.

·        More teens who have had sex are currently abstaining.

·        Teen birth rates have plummeted.

·        Teen pregnancy rates have dropped.

Parents and teens want a strong abstinence message for youth.

·        91% of teens and 93% of adults think teens should be given a strong abstinence message at least until they are out of high school (Feb 2007, With One Voice Survey).

Abstinence education deserves continued funding.

·        Title V will expire if it is not reauthorized by June 30, 2007.

·        Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) funding in the Labor/HHS Appropriations bill should be increased in Fiscal Year 2008.

Funding for contraceptive education and abstinence education should remain separate.

·        Abstinence education is about delaying sexual activity and promoting marriage as the healthiest context for sexual intimacy.  Contraceptive education seeks to reduce pregnancy by increasing the use of contraception.

·        There are many funding streams for contraceptive education, which permit in-school educational services, but few funding streams for abstinence education -- the current disparity is about 9 to 1.

Here is background information specific to Ohio:

Statistics reveal that Abstinence is making a positive impact in Ohio

Ø      Fewer Ohio teens are having sex (ie: choosing abstinence)4

Ø      Ohio Teens are having fewer sexual partners.5  

Ø      More Ohio teens who have had sex are currently abstaining6.

Ø      Teen birth rates in Ohio have plummeted 7

Ø      Teen pregnancy rates in Ohio have dropped 8

Teens are responding to the positive benefits of sexual abstinence as revealed in behavioral statistics and trend data.

Sexual Abstinence provides freedom for Ohio youth

Ø      Freedom to pursue life goals without possible negative consequences of sexual activity

Ø      Freedom from poverty associated with single parenthood9

Ø      Freedom from worry over pregnancy or STDs, including HIV/AIDS

Youth realize that real “sexual freedom” is found in choosing sexual abstinence.

So, how can you help? Get your students, co-workers, family members, and friends to write letters to help keep funding for these abstinence programs.

Please include any personal experience (such as how your children/students were impacted after participating in Positive Choices in their school health classes, after school program, or how you were impacted after you attended an Abstinence Education Parent Program, etc.)

Below is a list of representatives and senators from each district Positive Choices serves as well as Governor Strickland’s address.  Once again, we thank you for your continued support in our efforts to provide today’s youth with tools to abstain from sex until marriage.

GOVERNOR TED STRICKLAND

Riffe Center, 30th Floor

77 South High Street

Columbus, OH 43215-61082

 OHIO HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES

Mark Wagoner, Jr.                                   Peter Ujvagi

77 S. High St.                                          77 S. High St.

13th floor                                                 11th floor

Columbus, OH 43215-6111                       Columbus, OH 43215-6111

Edna Brown                                            Matt Szollosi

77 S. High St.                                         77 S. High St.

10th floor                                                10th floor

Columbus, OH 43215-6111                      Columbus, OH 43215-6111

OHIO SENATOR                                     Ohio 9th District Congresswoman

Teresa Fedor                                           Marcy Kaptur

Statehouse                                              2186 Rayburn Bldg.

Room #303, Third Floor                            Washington, DC 29515

Columbus, OH 43215