At this point, the weight of the evidence cannot be ignored, and under the glare of a congressional inquiry policymakers will have to answer tough questions about why we continue to waste millions of dollars a year on a policy that has failed to keep teens healthy and safe.
At this hearing, two young adults told the congressional panel about their experiences with abstinence-only programs. Max Siegel, who now works with the AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth, and Families, said that "the abstinence-only message did not prepare me for life, and I contracted HIV from the first person with whom I consented to having unprotected sex. I was still in high school."
In addition, public health expert John Santelli, M.D., M.P.H., testified before the committee about numerous independent studies, including federally funded evaluations, that have concluded that abstinence-only programs do nothing to delay teenage sexual activity and do not adequately prepare young people to make responsible health decisions.
Recently, the CDC found that at least one in four teen girls has a sexually transmitted infection (STI), and that the teen birthrate is on the rise for the first time in 16 years.
The moving testimony by the two young people who shared their personal stories exposes the stark reality that abstinence-only programs are failing our teens. It's time to put our money toward real solutions that will help prevent sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies among teenagers.
To date, 17 states have refused to accept federal funds for abstinence-only programs.
Planned Parenthood is a leading advocate for school education programs that will keep teens healthy - by including information about abstinence as well as about contraception, healthy communication, responsible decision making, and prevention of sexually transmitted infections.
Planned Parenthood has the nation's largest network of sex educators, who teach young people in schools and communities nationwide, every day, how to protect themselves from unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.
In our affiliates' 860 health centers across the country, our providers and educators see firsthand the price that young people pay when they are denied access to medically accurate, comprehensive sex education that could help them protect their lives and their futures. That's why today we submitted a statement for the Congressional Record urging Congress to work with those of us in the reproductive health community to find commonsense solutions to put an end to this public health crisis.
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Cecile Richards is president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
Accountability, for you, for me, for us. That's the theme for World AIDS Day 2006 and there couldn't be a more appropriate time to spread a more important message. Twenty-five years into the HIV/AIDS pandemic, infection rates are at record levels and are still rising. We must hold ourselves accountable and we must take action.
The numbers are sobering, and worth repeating: Forty million adults and children are currently infected with HIV/AIDS around the world - that's the entire population of Spain. And in the last year alone, more than four million men, women, and children were infected, and three million died.
HIV/AIDS does not discriminate - that much we know. But it does destroy families, weaken communities, and affect economic growth and security. And right now, the rates of HIV infection are spiraling higher in certain populations, particularly women and youth, the most vulnerable among us. In countries such as Thailand or Uganda, where HIV/AIDS was thought to be on the decline, the epidemic is resurging. This is unacceptable, especially because we can prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.
]]>Cecile Richards is president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
Accountability, for you, for me, for us. That's the theme for World AIDS Day 2006 and there couldn't be a more appropriate time to spread a more important message. Twenty-five years into the HIV/AIDS pandemic, infection rates are at record levels and are still rising. We must hold ourselves accountable and we must take action.
The numbers are sobering, and worth repeating: Forty million adults and children are currently infected with HIV/AIDS around the world - that's the entire population of Spain. And in the last year alone, more than four million men, women, and children were infected, and three million died.
HIV/AIDS does not discriminate - that much we know. But it does destroy families, weaken communities, and affect economic growth and security. And right now, the rates of HIV infection are spiraling higher in certain populations, particularly women and youth, the most vulnerable among us. In countries such as Thailand or Uganda, where HIV/AIDS was thought to be on the decline, the epidemic is resurging. This is unacceptable, especially because we can prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.
We have made considerable headway in fighting HIV/AIDS, but we still have a long way to go. And to make this disease a thing of the past, we all must be accountable, you, me, and us.
We must be accountable on a personal level - being sexually responsible, knowing our HIV status, and talking about HIV/AIDS to increase awareness and decrease stigma. And every little bit counts. Wear a red ribbon - the international symbol of HIV/AIDS awareness. Get involved. Raise awareness. Challenge the prejudice that those living with HIV/AIDS face every day.
And we must hold the highest levels of government accountable. I've said before and I will say again - there is no room for politics to get in the way of good medicine. We must demand that our elected leaders use tried-and-true prevention strategies that include education and condoms and do away with unproven abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.
We need to tell our representatives to support legislation like the Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth Act of 2006, which would do away with the abstinence-only requirements of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and take concrete measures to halt the rapid spread of HIV infection among women and girls.
Six years ago, leaders from around the globe came together and pledged to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. Toward that end, the World AIDS Campaign has adopted a simple message: Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.
At Planned Parenthood, part of our promise is carried out by our international programs, which support comprehensive reproductive health services and HIV prevention programs in Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Here in the United States, Planned Parenthood affiliate health centers provided more than 280,000 HIV tests last year alone, and our education programs are committed to teaching young people about prevention.
As we look ahead to a new year, Planned Parenthood once again promises to do its part around the world. All we ask is that you do yours: Be Accountable.
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