Washington, April 2, 2013 – Debra Hauser, Advocates for Youth's President issued the following statement today in support of Boston College Students for Sexual Health:

"Advocates for Youth stands in solidarity with the courageous youth activists at Boston College as they – along with thousands of their peers on campuses all across this country – fight for the information and tools necessary to protect their health and save their lives.

It is unconscionable given the consequences of HIV and AIDS that the administrators at Boston College or at any other institution of higher learning would threaten young activists with disciplinary action for providing their peers with the information and tools necessary to take personal responsibility for their sexual health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 76,000 young people in the United States between the ages of 13 and 24 are living with HIV and AIDS – 60 percent are unaware of their infection. Each and every month, 1,000 new HIV infections occur among young people this age.

It is time to recognize and uphold the rights of all young people to the sexual health information and services they need to protect their health and save their lives. April 10th, 2013 will mark the first National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day. The day provides an opportunity to hold our leaders accountable for prioritizing young people in the nation's response to HIV and AIDS.

Decision makers, like those at Boston College, must recognize that it is dangerous and irresponsible to turn a blind eye to the sexual health needs of students. It is misguided to believe that the provision of condoms causes young people to have sex. This is no more the case than umbrellas causing rain.

By age 20, 75 percent of young people have already had sex. Ninety-five percent of all Americans report having had sex before marriage. Thirty years of public health research clearly shows that providing sexual health information and services does not cause young people to have sex sooner or to act irresponsibly. In fact, research shows that sexual health information and services help young people to delay sexual initiation and to use condoms more consistently when they do have sex.

Advocates for Youth is proud to partner with the student activists at Boston College and on 1,000 other campuses across the U.S. as part of the Great American Condom Campaign, an effort to normalize condom use among sexually active youth on college campuses.

As we prepare to observe National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day, we are also proud of all our tens of thousands of youth with whom we work in support of honest sex education and confidential and affordable sexual health services. We know that these young people are fighting for real and meaningful change and we stand firmly alongside them. Stand with Boston College Students for Sexual health by signing this petition."

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Advocates for Youth is a national non-profit that champions programs and advocates for policies that help young people make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health. Advocates' Youth Activist Network stands 75,000 strong on 1,000 campuses and in tens of thousands of communities.

For more information on National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day follow @YouthAIDSDay on Twitter and Instagram, like National Youth HIV & AIDS Day on Facebook, and online at www.youthaidsday.org.