Support HB 1292: Responsible Sex Education
HB 1292 (Todd, Windels), "Responsible Sex Education," is an important part of prevention first policies to reduce unintended pregnancy in Colorado and to help create healthy women, children and families. This bill would establish standards for local school districts to use when developing sex-education curricula. Colorado lacks a common set of standards for instruction on the important topic of human sexuality. Recent surveys also reveal many students receive incomplete, inaccurate information regarding human sexuality. Colorado students and parents expect health education programs to teach scientifically established facts. Click here for printer friendly talking points. Sex-education programs that omit information about family planning or disease prevention or provide factually inaccurate and misleading information are dangerous. They do not give young people all the information they need to make responsible choices about their sexual health. Information that is wrong or misleading can have long-term and life-threatening consequences for young people and their families. TALKING POINTS
- Colorado ranks 22nd nationally in total teen pregnancies. Every hour a Colorado teenager under age 18 becomes pregnant.
- An estimated 20% of teen pregnancies will end in abortion.
- Colorado ranks 29th nationally in total incidents of sexually transmitted diseases.
- One in three sexually active students say they drank alcohol or used drugs before having sex. 1
- In a recent survey of Colorado schools, 28% of respondents indicated that their schools teach abstinence only.
- Congressional and independent reviews of federally funded abstinence-only education programs have found that some abstinence-only programs have presented scientifically and medically inaccurate and misleading information as fact: 2
- Abstinence-only programs have taught that "The actual ability of condoms to prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS even if the product is intact is not definitively known." This is contrary to scientific consensus that "latex condoms, when used correctly and consistently, are highly effective in preventing the transmission of HIV." 3
- One abstinence-only program incorrectly teaches that tears and sweat place you "at risk" for HIV transmission. This is despite the fact that the Centers for Disease Control says, "contact with saliva, tears, or sweat has never been shown to result in the transmission of HIV."4
- Less than $40,000 of the $488,000 federal Title V abstinence-only funding the state receives annually goes directly to Colorado schools. In fact, just one Colorado school district (Center Consolidated Schools) receives Title V funds. 5
- Federal dollars from Title V, Community Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) and Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA) grants support private and faith-based companies that provide abstinence-only programs in Colorado and nationwide. 6
Colorado Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance 2001 & The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
See for example, "The Content of Federally Funded Abstinence-Only Education Programs," (hereafter referenced as "The Waxman Report"), 2004, U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Government Reform – Minority Staff Special Investigation Division; "Colorado Sexuality Education Law and Policy," published by Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SEICUS), 2005, accessed via www.siecus.org; “An Overview of Federal Abstinence-Only Funding,” 2007, Legal Momentum, accessed via www.legalmomentum.org.
The Waxman Report, 2004
Ibid.
Colorado Sexuality Education Law and Policy.
Ibid. Click here for printer friendly talking points. (Please note that you will need Adobe Acrobat to view this file.)
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