President Barack Obama and Congress recently passed health care reform legislation that seeks to extend medical care to all Americans. While the passing of the legislation represents a victory for many Americans who require affordable health care, certain elements of the legislation are not in the best interest of Americans' public health. The legislation includes a renewal of $50 million of federal funding per year for abstinence-only sex education. It is inappropriate for policy intended to improve public health in the United States to fund programs that have been repeatedly proven to not prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unwanted pregnancies among teenagers.
As mentioned in a recent CNN.com article, the programs that can apply to receive this funding must "teach that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems," according to the Department of Health and Human Services. What's more, the programs must also teach that premarital sex is "likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects."
Programs that comply with these standards withhold important health information and should not be sponsored by federal health care funds. In order to maximize their health and safety, young people should be provided with full disclosure about the different ways to protect their sexual health. While students should know that abstinence is the only 100-percent guaranteed way to avoid STDs and pregnancy, it is also necessary for them to know that condoms, birth control pills and other contraceptives, when used properly, are highly effective in preventing STDs and pregnancy.
In funding abstinence-only education programs, the health care legislation is ignoring the empirical evidence on the efficacy of sex education programs. A 2007 study by the nonpartisan National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found that "there does not exist any strong evidence that any abstinence program delays the initiation of sex, hastens the return to abstinence or reduces the number of sexual partners" among teens. This finding has been reiterated again and again in various studies. Since evidence shows that abstinence programs do not positively impact teens' sexual health choices, there is no place for the programs in federal health care reform.
The idea of postponing sexual activity should be part of sex education, but it is unfair to young people to exclude information about practicing safe sex. Public opinion research has shown that a majority of Americans favor programs that include both abstinence and contraceptive education. The conclusions of both the American public and research studies support comprehensive sex education; why then is federal legislation providing $50 million of tax-payer money for abstinence-only programs?
Legislation reforming health care in the United States should fund programs that are the most effective in promoting sexual health among young people. Abstinence-only programs exclude important health-related information about contraception and have been repeatedly proven ineffective in changing teen sexual behavior. Educators should receive funding for programs that provide students with as much information as possible so that students can make fully informed decisions that protect their health and safety.
The health care reform legislation should be revised to only offer funding for comprehensive sexual health education programs.
