- Your statement should reflect the organization’s beliefs about the issue and be consistent with its mission.
- It should be concise and meet the needs of funders, media, board recruitment, and policy makers.
- Position statements should be included in board notebooks and reviewed every 3 to 5 years unless the environment or landscape you are working in changes or new technology or research emerges.
These are the most frequently needed by staff and board of directors:
Sexuality Education: This could be done from the perspective of “we believe that young people have a right to complete, accurate, and balanced information about sexuality and contraception.” You may also wish to delineate what you do not support, such as abstinence-only-until-marriage education.
Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Care: You can utilize state laws on access for minors to develop your statement if they are not consistent with your mission. Your position statement may reflect what you want to be as policy.
Abortion: Most state organizations have no position statement on abortion. They say something like, “Abortion is not prevention, it is an intervention legally available at this time. We support prevention of unwanted/unplanned pregnancies”.
Emergency Contraception: Would be covered in access above or an add on.
STD/HIV Diagnosis and Treatment: Could stand alone or be included in access.
Pregnancy and Teen Parenting: Should include right to services – non-discrimination – especially related to education, social supports, and father’s rights.
Others: Availability of Family Planning Services in Schools: Decision to be made by parents and community should not be mandated by state or federal governments.
Parental consent: For family planning – pregnancy or STD care. May use or refer back to state laws or may not. Whose rights prevail? Parents or teens?
Source: Huberman, B., Advocates for Youth, 2009.
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