A bill referred to as the Healthy Teens Act (S1342 Winner/A2856 Gottfried) is again making its way through the New York State Legislature. The bill is a funding mechanism for Planned Parenthood and its affiliates. It authorizes the State to finance the development and instruction of “comprehensive sex education” in the public school system.

Assemblyman Gottfried (Center) Chairs the Assembly Health Committee

A 2007 review of comprehensive sex education curricula from the US Department of Health and Human Services reveals how the most common, comprehensive sex education programs have virtually no effect in keeping teens from having sex, yet contain numerous sexually explicit lessons taught to teenagers as young as 13.

The alternative to comprehensive sex education is abstinence-based education. This is a proactive approach reminding teens that the only safe sex is sex within the bonds of marriage. It does include information about sexually transmitted diseases, but promotes the higher ideals of a monogamous marital relationship.

The Bush administration has emphasized this approach to sex education, and the results have proven positive with declining teen pregnancy rates. In July 2007, New York State Health Commissioner Richard Daines cancelled all existing abstinence-only contracts. The contracts provided $3.7 million in annual federal grants. Daines prefers to spend New York State dollars on comprehensive sex education.

The Institute for Research and Evaluation in Salt Lake City released a 2007 report that tracked more than 400,000 adolescents in 30 different states for 15 years. It concluded that “Well-designed and well-implemented abstinence education programs can reduce teen sexual activity by as much as one half for periods of one to two years, substantially increasing the number of adolescents who avoid the full range of problems related to teen sexual activity. Abandoning this strategy ...would appear to be a policy driven by politics rather than by a desire to protect American teens.”

Judith Vogtli, program director of Catholic Charities in Amherst, NY, says, “Most abstinence education programs have existed for only five to 10 years, while comprehensive sex education has been promoted in our schools for decades. It would be inappropriate for any government to dismiss the great strides abstinence education has made in the lives of teens or its future potential to make a difference in public health issues such as teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.”

Rev. Duane Motley, Executive Director of the Christian lobby group New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, believes that teens should be taught the truth about sex. Motley says, “It (sex) was created by God for the purposes of pleasure and procreation to be enjoyed between a husband and wife.  New York State teenagers need to be assured that, contrary to what they see portrayed in the media, not everyone is engaging in pre-marital or extra-marital relations.”

Senator Montgomery (D – Brooklyn), an advocate of comprehensive sex education, believes this will be the year that the Healthy Teens Act becomes law.  In fact, she looks forward to the day in which comprehensive sex education will be taught to first graders in public and charter schools. Montgomery has even introduced legislation (S6205) to achieve this goal. 

On March 17, 2008, the New York State Assembly passed the Healthy Teens Act by a vote of 130-14. The voting record on A2856 shows only fourteen Assemblymembers voting against the bill including Members of Assembly Burling, Butler, Errigo, Finch, Fitzpatrick, Gabryszak, Giglio, Hawley, Kirwan, Kolb, Peter Lopez, Reilich, Schimminger and Tobacco. Assemblymembers Gantt, Diane Gordon, Hoyt, Seminerio and Weisenberg were excused for the vote. The Healthy Teens Act now awaits further action in the Senate Health Committee.
 
Please, respectfully contact each member of the Senate Health Committee and voice your position on the “Healthy Teens Act” (S.1342 Winner):

Chairperson:

Senator Hannon

Members:

Senator Farley

Senator Sampson

Senator Libous

Senator Montgomery

Senator DeFrancisco

Senator Onorato

Senator Larkin

Senator Duane

Senator Fuschillo

Senator Gonzalez

Senator Rath

Senator Schneiderman

Senator Winner

Senator Valesky

Senator Little

Senator Young