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Rights. Respect. Responsibility.®—The Keep it REAL Campaign Toolkit [PDF]
Resources
REAL Act Senate Co-Sponsors
(as of January 2006)
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Sen. Jon Corzine (D-NJ)
Sen. James Jeffords (I-VT)
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI)
Sen. Mark Dayton (D-MN)
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
Talking Points on the REAL Act
The REAL Act would provide federal money to states to support responsible approaches to school-based sex education—approaches that include information about both abstinence and contraception, from values and public health perspectives.
Five Points to Make About REAL
- Young People Need Accurate, Complete Sexual Health Education. Youth cannot make healthy decisions without accurate knowledge. The Society for Adolescent Medicine, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and other prominent medical and public health organizations support young people’s access to accurate, complete sex education—including information about both abstinence and also contraception, including condoms. The REAL Act would support accurate, complete sex education programs.
- Abstinence-only-until-Marriage Programs Are Ineffective. There is no credible evaluation showing that these programs result in delayed initiation of sex, nor that they positively affect youth’s sexual behaviors. In fact, the Society for Adolescent Medicine has recently declared that abstinence-only is flawed from scientific and medical ethics viewpoints and should be abandoned as health policy and health programs. Instead, policies and funding should support programs that have been proven effective through science-based research.
- We Are Not against Abstinence. In fact, the REAL Act emphasizes the importance of abstinence, especially for younger teens. Abstinence is, of course, the only 100 percent effective prevention for all STIs, but 70 percent of young people have had sex by the age of 18. Youth need to know about more preventive methods than just abstinence. The REAL Act would support states’ efforts to provide accurate, honest sex education.
- Current U.S. Federal Law and Guidelines regarding Abstinence-only Funding Are Ethically Flawed and Interfere with Youth’s Fundamental Human Rights. The REAL Act would fund effective programs that support youth’s fundamental human right to information that can protect their health and save their lives.
- Youth Have the Right to Accurate Information about Sexual and Reproductive Health. Youth deserve respect and need to have a say in the policies and programs that affect our well-being. Society has the responsibility to provide youth with the tools we need to safeguard our sexual health.
Online Resources
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