Freethinkers Censure House Committee for Increasing Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funds, Failing Public School Students

Statement by Lori Lipman Brown, Director, Secular Coalition for America.

an unfortunate continuation of failed policies based on theology rather than fact

Washington, DC (IssuesWire) July 16, 2007 -- The Secular Coalition for America (www.secular.org), representing the views of the tens of millions nontheist Americans, today denounced the House Appropriations Committee for its approval of a 24.5% increase in funding to support abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, calling the decision, "an unfortunate continuation of failed policies based on theology rather than fact".

In light of the April 2007 Mathematica Policy Research study, which concluded that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs do not serve to change teens' behavior, and the Senate's June 21 decision to decrease the funding by 25%, House approval was especially disappointing and points to a larger issue that undermines church-state separation.

Secular Coalition for America educates Congressional leaders to the viewpoints held by nontheist Americans and strives to preserve the secular character of our government. In response to the House decision, Lori Lipman Brown, director of Secular Coalition for America, issued the following statement:

"We support comprehensive sex education programs that are developed by professional educators -- not abstinence-only-until-marriage programs which are developed by individuals who put theology above education. Comprehensive sex education programs include abstinence alongside othernmethods to avoid both unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. What we as Americans and freethinkers cannot support is the overt religious proselytizing of our public school students taking place. Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are rooted in the theological belief that all people must abstain from sexual activity until they are joined in a heterosexual marriage.

"We are deeply troubled by the House's decision to allocate additional funds to promote these programs, which carry a clear religious bias. No matter their personal beliefs, as elected Representatives, each is obliged to uphold our Constitution prohibiting religious preference and act in the best interest of our nation. Federal-funded sex education programs must not be theologically-based, but fact-based."

About Secular Coalition for America
ThenSecular Coalition for America is a coalition of eight national organizations. Its mission is to increase the visibility and respectability of nontheistic viewpoints in the United States, and to protect and strengthen the secular character of our government as the best guarantee of freedom for all. Media resources are available at http://www.secular.org/press.

###

Post Comment:
Trackback URL: http://issueswire.com/pingpr.php/UHJvZi1FbXB0LUhvcnItUGlnZy1UaGlyLVplcm8=

Bookmark -  Del.icio.us | Furl | Technorati | Ask | Y!MyWeb | Propeller | Live Bookmarks | Newsvine | TailRank | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Stumbleupon | Google Bookmarks | Sphere | Blink It | Spurl