1. Samantha Brown
(831)555-9872
California State University Monterey Bay
100 Campus Center
Seaside, CA 93955
sbeardslee@csumb.edu
16 December 2013
Senator Tom Harkin
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
428 Senate Dirksen Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Harkin:
Please accept this letter and enclosed documents as a proposal for improving
sexuality education policy for the youth of this country. Of all developed nations, the
U.S. still maintains the highest rate of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted
infections. Although the federal government does not usually intervene in the states'
educational policies, there is one thing you can do to drastically improve the sexual
health of the next generations.
As you may be aware, the Adolescent Family Life Act (AFL) was developed in 1981
and instated with increased funding in 1996. Under this act, the federal government
began distributing grants directly to organizations and programs that agree to teach
abstinence-only sexuality education to adolescents. Now called the Pregnancy
Assistance Fund under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, the
situation remains exactly the same.
As you may not be aware, abstinence-only education, while representing a decent
ideal, has never proven to be effective. The enclosed research report explains why
more comprehensive methods of education may be more effective in addressing
teen pregnancy and STI transmission, and it includes a plea for developing a policy
that would accomplish this goal. Please discuss within your committee a
complementary policy that would provide incentive to states requiring inclusive,
research validated sexuality education for youth in their schools.
Sincerely,
Samantha Brown
Integrated Studies Special Major
California State University Monterey Bay