First Step in Bringing Science and Evidence Back to Public Health Policy

We applaud the House of Representatives for voting, 264 to 153, to end funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs and bring science and evidence back into government policy. By jettisoning this ideological earmark from the Bush era, the House of Representatives has signaled that it is ready to put the health and well-being of young people before ideology.  

We also praise Members for voting to end the onerous ban on the use of federal funds for syringe exchange programs – prevention programs that are a critical component in fighting HIV/AIDS in our nation’s cities.

Shifting funds from failed abstinence-only programs to a new teen pregnancy prevention initiative is only a first step in the long battle to reverse the effects of twelve years of bad sex education policies.  If young people are to get the medically accurate and complete information they need to make responsible decisions about their sexual health, Congress must fund comprehensive sex education by passing the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act.  

We are grateful that House appropriators, led by Chairman David Obey, have chosen to focus on evidence-based prevention efforts in funding this new initiative. But we still have a long way to go.