To: National Desk

Contact: Charlee Voorhees, 202-962-0067 or dcoffice@abstinence.net

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 /U.S. Newswire/ -- On Oct. 27, the Committee on Government Reform released an official review finding Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman (news, bio, voting record)'s December 2004 report, "The Content of Federally Funded Abstinence-Only Education Program," a misleading and inaccurate description of abstinence until marriage programs.

The new report, "Abstinence and Its Critics," released by Rep. Mark Souder (news, bio, voting record), rectifies the misinformation widely disseminated by the mainstream media and clearly shows that abstinence programs are effective. The report further indicates "the value of abstinence for young people cannot be overestimated, and it is the duty of Congress to support programs that serve the interest of America's youth."

Prepared as a minority report without the endorsement of the full committee, the Waxman Report fails to include a fair evaluation of abstinence until marriage curricula. It also precludes any review of so called "comprehensive" sex education and seems to imply that these programs are the only worthy recipient of funding. Indeed, such programs already have a disproportionate funding edge despite their dangerous message and questionable results. In addition, "comprehensive" sex education programs often involve inappropriate graphics, descriptions of sexual acts, and suggestive information that contradicts parents' approval and therefore needs further scrutiny.

"We've known all along that the Waxman Report contains serious flaws that discredit its authority," stated Charlee Voorhees, director of Government Affairs for the Abstinence Clearinghouse. "The data indicates that abstinence education works. It provides an effective deterrent to teen pregnancy and STDs while protecting the emotional well-being of America's youth. We are glad to see that Congress takes abstinence education seriously and continues to lend support to abstinence programs."

To read the full report, including the Waxman Report, visit http://reform.house.gov/CJDPHR/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentI D=52012 or

http://reform.house.gov/UploadedFiles/Abstinence%20and%20its(per c e n t ) 2 0 C r i t i c s . p d f

http://www.usnewswire.com/

-0-

/© 2006 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/

  Add comment

Name:
E-Mail:
Comment:
Enter code: