FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
CONTACT:
|
Bill
Barker |
|
Thursday, February 24, 2000 |
|
(202) 419-3420 |
European Approach
to Teens and Sex More Successful Than U.S.
Despite Research,
Congress Continues to Deny Millions of American Young People Critical
Sexuality
Education
WASHINGTON, DC (February 24, 2000) A new study released
today by the Alan Guttmacher Institute reaffirms Advocates
for Youth's recent
findings that the United States has one of the highest
teen birth rates among all other industrialized nations.
Advocates for Youth's President, James Wagoner, calls on
U.S. policy makers to learn a lesson from Europe. "Despite
the recent decline in U.S. teen pregnancy rates, the U.S.
has a teen birth rate 13 times higher than that of the Netherlands,
6 times higher than France, and nearly four times higher
than the teen birth rate in Germany, and U.S. teens begin
having sex earlier than European teens. Clearly, Europe is
doing something right," he concluded.
An annual study tour of
the Netherlands, France and Germany by Advocates for Youth
found the rates in those European countries to be drastically
lower than in the U.S., because of a practical and healthy
attitude about sex. Unlike in the U.S., sexuality information
is widely available to young people in those countries.
"Ignorance is nobody's ally in the era of AIDS. What
we have to realize in the U.S. is that the Federal policy
that preaches abstinence-only-until-marriage denies young
people critical information about contraception. Congressional
attempts to censor sexuality education are not only naïve
and short-sighted, but irresponsible and dangerous," said
Wagoner.
Advocates for Youth and the University of North Carolina
are sponsoring another European Study Tour, to be held in
May of 2000, of 40 health professionals, policy makers and
educators from throughout the U.S. The tour will continue
to work to identify strategies, programs and policies in
the Netherlands, France and Germany that influence adolescent
sexual behavior and outcomes.
Advocates for Youth is an international, nonprofit organization
that creates programs and supports policies that help young
people make safe, responsible decisions about their sexual
and reproductive health.
###
Note
to Editors and Producers: For more information
or to set up an interview with adolescent sexuality experts,
please contact Bill Barker at (202) 419-3420.
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