Barbara Lee Calls on Congress to Fund REAL Sex Ed
Press Release
For Immediate Release: March 27, 2008
Contact: Cleve Mesidor, (202) 225-2661
(Washington, DC) –In advance of the upcoming House debate on funding for ineffective and discredited Abstinence only programs, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9) released the following statement:
“Continuing funding for abstinence-only programs, despite evidence showing that these programs are ineffective, and denying our children access to information that could protect them, compromises the health and wellbeing of our youth.
“With a recent CDC study indicating that 1 in 4 teen girls are living with a sexually transmitted infection (STI), and that 1 in 2 African American girls have an STI, we cannot afford to continue funding programs that do not work.
“We need to get REAL about sex education. We should absolutely be teaching young people about abstinence, but we shouldn’t be holding back information that can save lives and prevent unwanted pregnancies.
“Instead of abstinence-only, what we’re proposing is ‘abstinence-plus.’ My legislation, H.R. 1653, the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act, will create a federal funding stream for comprehensive sex education and I urge all Members of Congress to support it.”
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Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9) is Co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, where she serves on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Subcommittee.