Dear [Name]:

I am a parent and I am committed to my daughter and all young people receiving responsible sexuality education that includes medically accurate information about both abstinence and contraception. I was outraged when I heard that the Board of Education is considering replacing comprehensive sexuality education courses at our high school with ineffective abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.

Research shows that teaching both abstinence and contraception is the most effective sexuality education for young people. Youth who receive this kind of education are more likely to initiate sexual activity later in life and to use protection correctly and consistently when they do become sexually active. Furthermore, evaluation of comprehensive sexuality education has found that such programs delay the onset of intercourse, reduce the frequency of intercourse, reduce the number of sexual partners, and increase condom and contraceptive use. And these programs do not encourage teens to begin sexual activity. In short, responsible sexuality education programs work!

I am concerned about the high rates of pregnancy and high number of cases of sexually transmitted infections among teens. However, I am also concerned about my daughter's access to critical information to protect her from harm. I am not alone in this concern. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, neither parents (70.6%) nor teens (74.7%) believe that discussing both abstinence and contraception sends a mixed message to teens. Parents believe that good sexuality education includes both. You must not limit the ability of educators to provide accurate, comprehensive information.

Sincerely,