[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 51 (Tuesday, April 30, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H1751-H1757]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR ABSTINENCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2001, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I know that there are a number of Members 
wishing to come over tonight to talk on this Special Order, and I also 
know that there is a markup going on in the Committee on Armed 
Services, so a number of Members may put their remarks in as an 
extension of remarks.
  We are holding this Special Order tonight to provide our colleagues 
and the public with information about a key component of the 1996 
welfare reform law, title V, Abstinence Education Block Grant program. 
When we passed welfare reform in 1996, we emphasized a number of 
points, two specifically: work and responsibility. And we have made 
great strides in promoting work, but too many young people's dreams 
have been cut short by poor decisions that dramatically affect the 
course of their lives.
  Teen birth rates have been falling for the last 9 years and that is 
good news. But nearly half a million teens are giving birth each year, 
a rate higher than those of most industrialized nations. And 8,519 
births last year are to girls

[[Page H1752]]

under the age of 15. We know that out-of-wedlock births and teen births 
take a high toll on the teen mom, the child and our society as a whole; 
and we know that that life is rough for them as well. And while the 
teen birth rate may be falling, sexually transmitted diseases, STDs, 
have reached epidemic proportions in this country, placing the health 
and the very lives of sexually-active teens in peril.
  Today, one in four sexually-active teens is infected with an STD. 
Numerous studies show that if you give abstinence education a chance to 
work, it does. I know in my State of Michigan we have been at the 
forefront of this effort, and we have made significant progress in 
reducing teen births and the number of abortions through education and 
mentoring programs, and that has got to be our national goal.
  Mr. Speaker, President Bush got it right when he said that abstinence 
is not just about saying no to sex, it is about saying yes to a happy, 
healthier future. Anyone who thinks abstinence education does not work 
has only to examine the Michigan record, my State. Begun back in 1993, 
Michigan's Abstinence Partnership, MAP, the MAP program, is an 
innovative approach implemented through the community empowerment 
model.
  Community coalitions plan, implement, evaluate, revise and monitor 
the program. Parent education is provided to encourage effective 
communication with youth about the importance and the benefits of 
choosing abstinence. For the last 3 years in a row, Michigan has 
received a bonus award from the Department of Health and Human Services 
given each year to up to five States which experience the largest 
decrease in their ratio of out-of-wedlock to total births while also 
experiencing a reduction in their abortion rate.

                              {time}  2000

  Michigan is far from alone in embracing abstinence education as an 
effective means of reducing teen pregnancies in out-of-wedlock births 
and of protecting our young people from the scourge of sexually 
transmitted diseases.
  State participation in the title V abstinence program is voluntary, 
and for every $4 in Federal funding States receive, they must put $3 
into non-Federal funding. So it is a 4-to-3 match, and yet interest in 
this program is very high.
  Today 49 out of the 50 States are participating in the program. Over 
one-third of all school districts in the Nation now choose to teach 
abstinence education in their classrooms, and as part of their 
abstinence education programs, States and local grantees have launched 
media campaigns to influence attitudes and behavior, develop abstinence 
curriculum, revamp sexual education classes, start mentoring programs 
and implement other creative and effective approaches to encourage 
abstinence.
  It is important to note that reauthorization of title V abstinence 
education program, which we did in the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
last week, will in no way affect Federal support for other teenage 
pregnancy prevention sexual programs. Let me say that again. The 
reauthorization of this program last week in no way affects other 
Federal support for other teen pregnancy prevention programs. There are 
at least 25 Federal programs providing funding for contraceptive and 
sex education while there are only three abstinence-focused programs.
  Contrary to claims that my colleagues may have heard about 
restrictions about what may be discussed in abstinence education 
programs, nothing in the Federal law or the guidelines to the States 
prohibits the discussion of any subject.
  Contrary to the claim that there is no scientific evidence that 
abstinence programs work, there are, in fact, 10 scientific evaluations 
available now showing that abstinence education is effective in 
reducing sexual activity.
  Since 1996, the enactment of the Welfare Reform bill included 
abstinence education, teen pregnancy and birthrates have been falling. 
That is great news, but we need to continue and build on that success. 
Out-of-wedlock births are often disastrous for mothers, children, 
society as a whole, and children born out-of-wedlock are far more 
likely to be poor, suffer ill health, drop out of school. In the case 
of boys, they are twice as likely to commit a crime, lead to 
incarceration by the time they reach their early 30s.
  STDs have reached epidemic proportions in our country, placing the 
health and lives of sexually active young people in serious peril. In 
fact, in the 1960s, one in 47 sexually active teenagers were infected 
with an STD. Today it is not one out of 47, it is one out of 4. Young 
people need to know that having sexual relations puts them at risk not 
only for HIV/AIDS but also herpes, which is obviously incurable, and 
may affect babies during birth, resulting in severe damage or death.
  Teens need to know they are at risk for human papillomavirus, PHV, 
which is the leading viral STD and which causes nearly all cases of 
cervical cancer, and they need to know that scientific research shows 
that condom use offers relatively little protection from herpes and no 
protection from HPV. Abstinence education programs provide the right 
information.
  Too many of our kids' dreams have been cut short by poor decisions 
that dramatically alter the course of their lives. Abstinence education 
programs give our young both the inspiration and education that they 
need to make good, healthful decisions. Our young people look to us for 
clear messages and for help in setting high standards for themselves. 
Abstinence education programs will, in fact, give them that help.
  I would yield to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Oklahoma 
(Mr. Sullivan).
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Upton) for yielding me the time.
  Mr. Speaker, I am here tonight to raise some very important issues 
and shed light on the importance of abstinence education. Some would 
say we are sending a mixed message with both abstinence education and 
sex education. To say kids are hearing two messages which are confusing 
and that one should go away is absurd. Do we tell them if they are 
going to drink and drive to make sure they wear a seat belt? Do we tell 
them if they are going to use potentially deadly inhalers that they 
should sniff slowly?
  No. We know that drinking and driving is wrong, period. We know that 
inhaling potentially deadly substances is wrong, period. In my opinion, 
sex ed or the just-in-case message is the cause of confusion for kids. 
Just as we expect kids not to drink and drive, because of the dangers 
they pose to themselves and others, we should teach them to be safe, 
truly safe, and have self-confidence in themselves without looking for 
their self-worth in physical activity that may put themselves and 
others at risk. Just as we expect them to excel at their studies, we 
should expect them to excel in making wise choices for themselves.

  I believe this is truly compassionate conservatism. I know that 
certain behaviors will affect children adversely, and to work towards 
helping them understand how to act and why it is important in their own 
lives. What are the risks of not staying abstinent? STD, out-of-wedlock 
births, abortion, and physical and emotional injury. Here are some 
facts to consider.
  In the 1960s, the dominant diseases related to sexual activity were 
syphilis and gonorrhea. Today they are incurable viral diseases. 
Approximately 6 percent of adolescent females tested at family planning 
clinics are infected with Chlamydia, which leads to the scarring of the 
fallopian tubes and is the fastest growing cause of infertility, and 
the National Institutes on Health Workshop on the Scientific Evidence 
of Condom Effectiveness for STD Prevention reported that there is no 
evidence that condoms reduce the sexual transmission of HPV, and no 
evidence that condom use reduces the risk for transmission of herpes.
  In 1995, the year before we enacted welfare reform, 66 percent of 
families with children headed by a single parent were living in 
poverty. Living in a single-parent family approximately doubles the 
likelihood that a child will become a high school dropout. Is this the 
legacy we should be teaching kids to pass to their children?
  No. I think we should teach children to act responsibly. I want to 
tell my colleagues about a great program in my district, KEEP. KEEP 
teaches kids outside the school setting how to build

[[Page H1753]]

solid relationships and avoid peer pressure that might lead them down 
the road of sexual promiscuity. They help kids understand rules and 
boundaries necessary in relationships so that unplanned pregnancies can 
be avoided, and they do it in such a way as to make kids think, to 
answer questions and understand consequences, not just preach to them.
  I commend them for their work and I firmly believe this approach is 
the correct one. Kids need to think through things before they take 
actions that may affect them adversely later in life.
  One of the greatest tragedies of our days is not just that our babies 
are having babies, but that our young daughters are often taking the 
lives of their unborn children through abortion. Studies are beginning 
to show a link between breast cancer and abortion. Our young girls must 
be taught this, must know what the possibilities are when they choose 
to have sex outside of marriage and choose to have an abortion.
  The psychological consequences of abortion are well known, even to 
women who have abortions, and the physical consequences range from the 
inability to conceive later to serious medical emergencies which 
threaten the life of the woman. Abstinence teaches self-respect and 
gives a path for kids to follow that does not lead them down a path 
like this.
  There are consequences of early sexual activity, emotional, 
psychological injury. Sexually active youth live with anxiety about the 
possibilities of unwanted pregnancy or contracting a devastating 
sexually transmitted disease.
  As the quotes we read from young people participating in abstinence 
programs unfortunately indicate, becoming sexually active makes young 
people vulnerable to emotional and psychological injury. Many young 
girls report experiencing regret or guilt after their initial sexual 
experience. So let us review.
  Abstinence education teaches kids to avoid STDs, to avoid unplanned 
pregnancies, to avoid going down the path that leads towards abortion, 
to avoid the possibility of physical or emotional scars, towards self-
confidence, and it gives the States the flexibility to decide which 
programs to fund.
  It is a win-win situation all around, and I hope my colleagues in the 
House will support a strong abstinence education definition and 
continued funding for strong abstinence education programs.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma for his 
great statement, and I would yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Bilirakis), my friend and colleague, and the Chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Health, who helped carry the abstinence reauthorization 
through the committee last week.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Upton) for scheduling today's special order.
  I, too rise, this evening to talk about an issue that the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, which I chair, examined 
last week. I am referring, of course, to the Abstinence Only Education 
Funds, which are provided through title V of the Social Security Act.
  The Committee on Energy and Commerce favorably reported legislation 
last week that would reauthorize this important program through fiscal 
year 2007. These Abstinence Only Education Funds were first included as 
part of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation 
Act of 1996, which reformed our Nation's welfare laws to put an 
emphasis on work and end the seemingly endless cycle of dependency that 
was present under the old Aid to Families With Dependent Children 
Program.
  Title V allocated $50 million for fiscal years 1998 to 2002 for block 
grants to States for the development of Abstinence Only Education 
programs. To date, 49 of the 50 States have elected to participate in 
this program. I am very pleased, of course, that my own State of 
Florida has elected to participate in this program.
  In fact, during my subcommittee's hearing last week, we heard from 
Ms. Jacqueline Del Rosario, who runs a project in Miami titled 
ReCapturing the Vision. Ms. Del Rosario started the program in a middle 
school in an impoverished area of Miami, Dade County. In its 8 years of 
operation, participants in ReCapturing the Vision have only a 1.1 
percent pregnancy rate, and I repeat that. In its 8 years of operation, 
participants in ReCapturing the Vision have only a 1.1 percent 
pregnancy rate.
  Ms. Del Rosario testified that one reason why she believes her 
program has been so successful is because, ``ReCapturing the Vision 
does not just teach teens to say no to sex, but we also build their 
values and cause them to embrace the future.''
  Ms. Del Rosario went on to add that ``Contraceptives cannot protect a 
15 year old from the erosion of her dignity and self-worth. There must 
be another value that causes teens to raise their standards and protect 
their emotional and physical health.''
  She further argued that diluting the Abstinence Only message was 
harmful. She went on to say, ``I had heard it said that abstinence with 
contraceptives was a `mixed message' but I never believed it to be 
true.'' However, she learned that, ``Kids need a concise and clear 
message. To hear it from the students caused me to believe that we must 
be the voice that tells them that we expect them to abstain and we 
believe they can do it.''
  By continuing title V funding for another 5 years, we can encourage 
the development of more successful programs like ReCapturing the 
Vision. This is so critically important because the consequences of 
ill-advised sexual activity by young people is severe, and I asked her 
specifically during the hearing if the other title V programs in the 
rest of the country are somewhat similar to hers or at least follow 
basically the same concept, and her answer is, yes, they are.
  Again, I want to emphasize, these are not ``just say no'' programs. 
They go into the broad work and the character of the individual. This 
is so critically important because the consequences of ill-advised 
sexual activity by young people is severe.
  Another one of our witnesses, Dr. Joe McIlhaney, told us that, 
``Sexually transmitted infection is highly prevalent among adolescents. 
3 to 4 million sexually transmitted diseases are contracted yearly by 
15 to 19 year olds, and another 5 to 6 million sexually transmitted 
diseases are contracted annually by 20 to 24 year olds.'' As we all 
agree, and everybody agreed, abstinence is the only sure way to prevent 
the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, as well as out-of-wedlock 
pregnancies.

                              {time}  2015

  I would like to point out one important fact that I highlighted 
during my subcommittee's hearing and the subsequent full committee 
markup. Abstinence-only programs do not prohibit educators from 
discussing the facts about the effectiveness of contraceptives, the 
spread of sexually-transmitted diseases, or any other topic that might 
be raised. The only requirement is that the use of contraceptives 
cannot be advocated; only abstinence can.
  In a recently-release interim report on the effectiveness of 
abstinence-only programs, the highly-respected research firm 
Mathematica noted that, and I quote, ``Obtaining clear and definitive 
evidence on the success of abstinence evidence programs is a difficult 
task that requires time.'' Until this comprehensive assessment is 
complete, in spite of the fact we hear about the success rates by Ms. 
Del Rosario and others, until the assessment is complete, and given the 
anecdotal success we have learned about from programs like ReCapturing 
the Visions and others, we should continue to fund these programs so we 
can have an accurate picture of their effectiveness and to gain the 
value of the good that they do. The proven good they do.
  I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for 
participating again tonight and for his leadership, which was certainly 
appreciated last week in committee.
  Next I would like to yield to my friend, a member of the subcommittee 
that I chair, the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, 
the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry).
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my chairman. I appreciate that he is 
doing

[[Page H1754]]

this special order tonight to bring the message out to the people of 
America what this good Congress is doing for our youth.
  The gentleman was here in 1996 when this Congress passed the Welfare 
Reform Act with this important provision.
  Mr. UPTON. Actually passed it four times.
  Mr. TERRY. Four times. Well, the gentleman had a little trouble 
convincing some other people of the importance of not only helping 
people up out of poverty by teaching them special skills so they could 
become employed, but also on such important issues as teaching 
abstinence to our children.
  It confuses me. I was simply a city councilman in 1996 when the 
gentleman were wrestling with this issue and facing several vetoes by 
the White House then. But I appreciate that the gentleman continued to 
persevere through those and eventually triumph, because I really feel 
it has been an important message to our youth that we adopt this Title 
V program where we have a specific, and let me stress that, a specific 
program to teach abstinence to our youth. It is the first time, as I 
understand, that Congress did this, in 1996.
  I would assume that the Congress did it for the good-hearted and 
compassionate reason that when we want to lift people out of poverty, 
it is hard when we are trying to help a teenage mother out of poverty. 
If anything locks someone into their current status of poverty, it is 
having a child when one is 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 years old. So it was 
certainly the compassionate thing to do, and I appreciate that.
  It is just unbelievable to me now, entering my fourth year of 
Congress, and, again, I was not here in 1996, but that we are having 
these same battles again. It is just unbelievable when we look at the 
importance of such a program.
  Let us talk a little bit about one of the reasons why I would assume 
it was such an important tenet in the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, and 
that is to try to help teenagers learn and understand the importance of 
not becoming a mother or a father when you are 14, 15, 16 years of age. 
So we are hoping to reduce the teenage pregnancy rate. In 1994, 46.6 
out of every 1,000 teenagers became pregnant out-of-wedlock. Now, what 
is important, since the passage of this Act and this program, as of 
January 2000, this teenage pregnancy rate has fallen to 39.6 per 1,000 
teenagers. That is incredible improvement over a short period of time.
  The abstinence education programs that Congress began funding in 
1996, I believe, has significantly contributed to this decrease. Here 
is a chart I brought for the American public tonight, and what we see 
here is at the zero level. This goes back to the 1940s when teenage 
pregnancy was really pretty rare all the way up to, and I am going to 
have to get away from the microphone here, but the spot I am pointing 
to is 1994, the critical year of the passage of the Title V abstinence 
program funding. That was the peak. That was the peak of teenage 
pregnancy.
  I do not think it is coincidental that the time that we as a Nation 
agreed that abstinence was an important message for our teenagers that 
we have seen a dramatic drop in teenage pregnancy since then. When we 
had our hearing last week, some of the naysayers kept telling us, there 
is no evidence. There is no evidence. There is no evidence. But, my 
God, this is pretty dramatic. Does my colleague agree?

  Mr. UPTON. Absolutely. I look at my State and that is exactly when 
teen pregnancies began to drop. And the nice thing about this program 
is it is not just Federal dollars, it encourages the States to 
establish their programs and it becomes a match. For every $4 of 
Federal dollars, the States have to come up with $3. And then there are 
incentives and awards if they actually do work.
  Michigan has had a great program under the leadership of our 
governor, and we have seen that work and we have seen those rates 
continue to decline year after year.
  Mr. TERRY. We in Nebraska have shared the same statistics because we 
have embraced the abstinence programs. We have several school 
districts, our public schools, that have adopted these programs and 
apply for reimbursement.
  Mr. UPTON. One of the things I said last week during the markup in a 
discussion on the bill is that I visit a school, just like the 
gentleman does, just about every week, because I also serve on the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce. I go to all different sizes. 
I was on the Western Michigan University campus earlier this morning. 
But whether it be an elementary school, a high school, a private 
school, a charter school, and we passed a great charter school bill 
earlier this evening, but one of the toughest times that I have had 
sitting down with students is when I have met with kids that have kids, 
13, 14, 15-year-old girls. They thought it was fun until they had the 
child. They see now what the work is and they have a tough life ahead 
of them. They really do. It is all we can do to encourage them to stay 
in school because their lives are changed dramatically if they do not 
continue to get that high school diploma or GED afterwards.
  And as I have sat down with those girls, kids really is what it is, 
they know how tough it is. And it is that message, and I am now 49 
years old and they do not always want to hear from a 49-year-old guy, 
so it is better for them to hear from their own peers. And they do not 
have a very good story to tell. We really got that discussion, as I 
said, at a number of different schools. We just sat around the table 
and they outlined for me the hardships that they now face and the 
realization that they probably should not have done what they did. And, 
frankly, it was before a lot of these programs came into play.
  Abstinence does work. Those programs and that funding is important, 
and it keeps them on a much better path. Project Reality, a group from 
Illinois, came out with six good reasons to fund abstinence education: 
One, teens want to learn about abstinence. Nearly all teens, 93 
percent, said they should be given a strong message about abstinence.
  Mr. TERRY. Ninety-three percent felt they needed a strong message.
  Mr. UPTON. Second, abstinence is the only 100 percent effective 
method of prevention. We know that. Three, most teens are not sexually 
active and most of those who are do not want to be.
  The Center for Disease Control reports that about 36 percent of high 
school students are considered sexually active.
  Four, abstinence education teaches the benefits of marriage and 
family. Surveys show that three out of four teens hope to have a good 
marriage and family life.
  But here are two things that really stand out. Abstinence education 
offers significant economic and sociological benefits. Teens who choose 
abstinence are less likely to engage in other risk-related behaviors, 
such as underage drinking, smoking, and the use of illegal drugs. 
Pretty incredible.
  Mr. TERRY. So a positive message goes across the board in their life.
  Mr. UPTON. That is right. It is character and all the things we want. 
This program builds on that.
  Mr. TERRY. Building character, self-esteem, the power to say no, to 
make those tough choices that our teenagers have to make on a daily 
basis.
  Mr. UPTON. That is right.
  Mr. TERRY. That is what this program teaches. It is not just the sex 
part, but it is teaching them the internal strength to say no; to 
recognize the situations where they can be manipulated by their peers; 
to identify that situation and remove themselves, but also to teach 
them the internal strength, the self-esteem to be able to say no once 
they have recognized that situation. That is important.
  Mr. UPTON. Absolutely it is. That is why we had a very strong 
bipartisan vote last week to get this plan adopted. I think it was 35 
to 17 in the committee. We look forward to having it on the floor for 
debate and a vote as early as next week as part of the welfare reform 
reauthorization bill.

  Mr. TERRY. I look forward to that. And I really believe the 
abstinence program the Congress passed in 1996 and we get to authorize 
is one of the major causes of the drop in teenage pregnancy.
  But we still have a long way to go. We have to recognize that while 
the

[[Page H1755]]

hard empirical evidence may not be there for us yet, because of the 
fact that we are in the early stages of such an important program, that 
is not a reason to throw it out, as the 17 in our committee wanted to 
do.
  Mr. UPTON. Well, imagine, as we look at the great progress that has 
happened on welfare reform. And it is on both sides of the aisle. The 
governors have done a terrific job. I have met with our Department of 
Social Services, now called our FIA offices back in Michigan. But as we 
look at the tremendous progress that we have had; more money for job 
training, assistance to help with health benefits, particularly 
Medicaid for families that before had an incentive to stay on welfare 
rather than go on to work, take a look at this program, the abstinence 
program, it is such a small amount of money really relative to the 
whole scheme of things. Fifty million dollars.
  Mr. TERRY. Fifty million dollars.
  Mr. UPTON. But look at the importance. Look at that drop, that fall 
off of the cliff of the birth rates for unmarried teens. Imagine if we 
went back to this program, to reauthorize it, as the governors have 
asked, and I think we have a strong bipartisan majority, certainly both 
in our Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce, the committee we both serve on, but in this 
Congress as well, and imagine if we saw this program come to the brink 
of whether it gets reauthorized or not, something that all of us want, 
and somehow this program for abstinence was not included, despite the 
numbers showing the very positive effects of having this program 
included. Imagine if we just said no, we are not going to do that and 
then watched those numbers then rise.
  Now, the jury is still out. We will see what the Congress does, this 
side as well as the other side of the Capitol, but imagine if all of a 
sudden we do not do it and the numbers go back up. Think of the impact 
on those kids that the gentleman and I see every day and of those 
families in virtually every single community across the country. I do 
not know that I could vote for a bill without this program.
  Mr. TERRY. Not only on the sure ways that it affects teenagers' 
lives, but just think of the message that Congress sends, the message 
we would send the American public and the teenagers, which is that we 
do not care whether they abstain. Our only message is to teach them how 
to put a condom on right. That is a terrible message to send to our 
teenagers today that are looking, as the gentleman said earlier, for 
the right message.
  Now, in this chart, and the gentleman and I have just talked about 
the importance of teaching a message to our teenagers to abstain from 
sex to prevent an unwanted pregnancy and, in essence, putting 
themselves into a position of perhaps perpetual poverty, but it is also 
health reasons, as we discussed in great detail in our committee last 
week. It is sexually-transmitted diseases.
  As we have learned from the testimony, and the chairman of our 
Subcommittee on Health was up here and gave some great testimony from 
his witnesses that testified before his subcommittee, but the testimony 
that was presented to the rest of us in our committee was that when we 
really look at the true science of other ways of preventing STDs, 
sexually transmitted diseases, and how infective they can truly be, 
there is only one 100 percent sure way to avoid a sexually transmitted 
disease.

                              {time}  2030

  Mr. Speaker, from the testimony in our committee, I was very, very 
disheartened. It was depressing to learn that 3 million teenagers per 
year get a sexually transmitted disease, some of which they can never 
get rid of. It is not just go to the doctor and get a shot; some are 
deadly, or stay with them for the rest of their lives.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, we learned that some of those diseases are 
not prevented with the use of a condom.
  Mr. TERRY. That is right. The Journal of the American Medical 
Association published the results of a study on the effectiveness of 
condoms, which are the focus of most of the safe sex programs out 
there. It is 1,251 women whose partners consistently used condoms 
participated in the study. By its end, 34 percent of them had either 
contracted a sexually transmitted disease or became pregnant.
  How do we teach our children safe sex, how to use contraceptives, how 
to use a condom, and look them straight in the eye and say they are 
safe?
  Mr. UPTON. They are not. That is what the answer was, they are not. 
That is why this is the program that works best of all.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I was frustrated with the attempts for 
amendments in our committee by that small minority, and I am pleased 
that it has been pointed out this is a bipartisan effort. The vast 
majority agree that the abstinence message is the correct one for our 
teenagers. It is disheartening that there is a small minority out 
there.
  Throwing away scientific studies, how do we look a teenager in the 
eye and say this is the proper way to put on a condom, and send them a 
message of abstinence at the same time? To a 16-year-old, that is tacit 
to approval, when an adult says the best thing is to abstain, but we 
know that you are not going to, so I am going to teach you to have safe 
sex using condoms correctly.
  Now the testimony that the gentleman received in the Subcommittee on 
Health, and I truly believe to be plain common sense, that is tacit to 
approval. While safe sex education may be a proper place for parents 
and even in some discussions in more formal settings outside of the 
house, the fact of the matter is I do not know how we teach abstinence 
and safe sex at the same time. That is one of the issues that we are 
going to face when this bill is brought to the House floor. We are 
going to have to beat back several amendments to try and change an 
abstinence program into a safe sex program.
  As I understand the way it works in Nebraska, and perhaps the 
gentleman can expand on how it works in Michigan, an entity, we have 
all the way from the Girls and Boys Town U.S.A., to Norfolk and Omaha 
public schools, to scouting that will adopt an abstinence-only program 
and teach that. Then they apply for reimbursement from the Federal 
Government out of that $50 million that we will allot with the 
reauthorization of this program. So it is not that we mandate on the 
public schools or other entities that this is the only thing that they 
can do. We say this is the most effective message or at least that is 
what I say is the most effective measure how to teach our children how 
to avoid sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy, but we 
are not mandating. We are saying we will help you with the cost of 
this. I am proud in Nebraska we have several successful abstinence 
programs in place today.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, we have been able to talk to participants 
that have participated in the program across the country. Whether it is 
Nebraska or Michigan or South Carolina, just about every State, and 
California is the one that does not participate, but the other 49 
States do. In almost every single State we have testimonials from 
students that have participated that have said thank you. For those 
that did involve themselves with sex before, they are sorry. They talk 
about it in a number of testimonials that we have. It is important, and 
it is that type of peer pressure that works that we build upon as we 
see this program work in State after State after State.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, according to our Nebraska Health and Human 
Services, since the program was implemented in 1996, we in Nebraska 
have brought this program to 15,000 students. It takes time to get a 
program like this up and running, the curriculum set, the standard set 
so they can move forward. 15,000 students is only in the last couple of 
years. But to exemplify the message that the gentleman just gave, let 
me read a letter from Girls and Boys Town. It used to be Boys Town, but 
they changed name to Girls and Boys Town.
  In this letter it says, ``Risk reduction sexuality education has been 
funded for many years. We are asking only for an equal opportunity to 
promote risk elimination. Changing the definition of abstinence to 
include birth control information and promotion will make it nearly 
impossible to tell which approach is the most effective in keeping our 
youth safe from disease and out-of-wedlock programs.''

[[Page H1756]]

  The counselors and the people that have developed the program at 
Girls and Boys Town are national leaders in this, and that is what they 
say: It confuses the message. They simply want the opportunity, when we 
have had years of funding sex education and reduction, let us go to 
prevention and teach that message. One more quote, if the gentleman 
will allow me to close with this, and I thank the gentleman for having 
this conversation with me.
  This is from Lancaster County, that is Lincoln, Nebraska, and those 
in Michigan know where Lincoln, Nebraska is, the home of the University 
of Nebraska. In the city of Norfolk, they have probably the most 
established abstinence programs in Nebraska.
  Mike Huckabee, one of the counselors that helped develop this one in 
Lincoln, wrote to us, and forgive me for being a little wordy, but he 
has a paragraph that I think nails it for us. ``Is abstinence 
effective? I firmly believe it is. Can I provide you with the evidence? 
The faces of those young people and parents tell me this is the message 
they are seeking to hear. They tell me they do not want the risk of 
STDs and pregnancies, that sex is not worth that. They tell me they can 
wait, they just need someone to support them in that decision. The 
evidence is around the corner, but for now I can only point you to the 
families who continue to tell us in droves to keep sending the message 
of abstinence until marriage, nothing else works. Abstinence works.''
  Let me go back to one sentence in my conclusion here. They just need 
someone to support them in that decision. Our teenagers, as the 
gentleman pointed out, are looking for their parents and the adults in 
society to support them in their decision for abstinence, and it is 
incumbent upon us in this Congress to support our teenagers when they 
decide to abstain from sex.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks 
tonight. As we look at a host of issues over this last year, a number 
of the votes that we have cast on other things, we have asked for 
science and the right equations be used as we cast these yes and no 
votes. The science is here. We know that this program works, and it 
would be wrong to deny this as a part of welfare reform as we look to 
have it reauthorized and continue to work and do what all of us want to 
have happen, and that is to move people that are currently able-bodied 
and have the tools to in fact lead productive lives and lead their 
families out of welfare and into a productive sector of our economy. 
This is a program that works.
  The science shows that it does, and we have to make sure that we not 
only continue it, but we build upon it, allowing the governors to have 
the flexibility to match with their dollars to save more lives. That is 
what it is all about.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes).
  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his efforts in 
this regard.
  I have listened to this debate tonight and I hear when people are 
talking about abstinence and all of the statistics, but let me give one 
actual fact. In one city that I represent, I had some of the leadership 
in that city that came to me and they said this, which just startled 
me. They said that 81 percent of the live births in that city were to 
unwed mothers, mostly teenagers. If we just stop and think about that, 
81 percent, the economic and social consequences from that are 
enormous. The programs that they have been using, you can list all of 
them, but the one that is not there is abstinence education. We say 
this is a child problem. This is not a child problem, this is an adult 
problem.
  I was amazed in Virginia when I had legislation there that would have 
allowed us to have abstinence education as a part of their curriculum, 
and in doing the debate and going through all of the issues that were 
there, there was one real culminating statement that was made by the 
opposition, and this was just to whether or not we should allow 
abstinence education to be taught. Somebody on the other side said we 
should not even teach abstinence education because it would confuse our 
children. If you do not think that our children are confused, all you 
have to do is spend 24 hours with them, and they are pulled in every 
direction imaginable, and they are looking to us not to confuse them 
more, but to set standards.
  We do that every day. In government classes, we put them in at a high 
standard because we want them to be the best they can be in government. 
In English courses, we set a high English standard, and we say this is 
where you ought to reach and aspire to attain to. In our mathematics 
courses, we also do that.
  The real question for us today is not whether abstinence works, it is 
whether or not we want it to work. The real question is not whether 
this standard is too high, it is whether we want a standard at all.
  I have a great example of a student that I know back in one of the 
cities that I represent. He is now the most popular government teacher 
in that entire city; and yet he was at a point in his career when he 
was in high school, he did not know what he was going to do. One day a 
principal walking down the hall looked at that student, called him by 
name. He turned around and said, you would be a good teacher, you ought 
to be a teacher. Then he turned around and kept walking down the hall. 
It changed his life because that principal cared enough to set a 
standard and say you can do this. He became the best government teacher 
in that particular city.
  Mr. Speaker, imagine if that teacher would stop our students and say 
when it comes to all of the problems that you have with sex today, if 
you would have abstinence, look at what would happen. One thing that we 
know is not every child would reach that goal, any more than they would 
in government or mathematics or English when we set high standards. But 
we know the ones that reach that goal, here are the things that would 
not happen to them: That student would not develop a sexually 
transmitted disease because of their abstinence; that student would not 
get an unwanted pregnancy because of their abstinence; that student 
would not keep from developing the career that they had always dreamed 
of because of that decision regarding abstinence; that student would 
not keep from going to college because of their decision to have 
abstinence. It certainly would not cause them to suffer from the guilt 
of making a bad decision that could negatively impact them for the rest 
of their lives.

                              {time}  2045

  But I would say to our chairman, despite all of your good works and 
all of the discussions we have heard here tonight and will continue to 
hear, I do not think we are ever going to reach the goal of having 
abstinence education in this country until parents really are demanding 
of us as leaders and educators, when they stand up and say our children 
deserve to have a program that works, and abstinence works.
  I just thank the gentleman for his efforts on this. We will continue 
to work to make sure that all of our children get an opportunity to 
hear this standard and can strive to reach it.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I have a question of the gentleman. I know he 
is a great leader on this when he was in the legislature before he ran 
for Congress. Have his numbers been like Michigan's and other States 
across the country? Has the gentleman seen a real decline in pregnancy 
rates among teen moms?
  Mr. FORBES. Ours is still at a point where it is too early probably 
for us to statistically be able to answer that. We believe that is what 
the numbers are indicating.
  But let me tell you an even more compelling fact: I spend a lot of 
time going around to schools. I do not think one can just read about 
what students are thinking in a magazine or in a document or have some 
lobbyist tell you and that be the fact. I think the way you find out is 
to go in the schools and talk to the students.
  There is not a school in my district that I am not in every year, 
once a year at least, talking to those students. When you do, and you 
sit down and you look at them and you talk to them, they are the ones 
that tell you this program works. They are looking for standards.
  They are looking to us. We have been there. They do put more 
credibility in us sometimes than we give them credit for. When we tell 
them you can do well

[[Page H1757]]

in college if you just try, a lot of them do that. When we tell them 
that abstinence works, it does work and they see the proof in the 
pudding. But if we tell them nothing, then they have no standards, no 
goals to reach.
  So I suggest it is working not just because of statistics I see on 
paper, but looking into eyes of students I get to talk to, and they 
tell me it is working.
  Mr. UPTON. I appreciate the gentleman's leadership. In the days past, 
and, obviously, in the days ahead, we have some big votes next week if 
we take this welfare reform bill up. This is an important component of 
that. I am delighted we passed it out of my committee, the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce, on a strong vote of 35 to 17, and we have to make 
sure we carry the day when we take this issue to the House floor for 
debate next week.
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, Heritage Community 
Services was formed as a coalition of community-based abstinence 
educators from across South Carolina with combined experience in the 
field totaling nearly 75 years. It was awarded a Title V abstinence 
education grant for implementing a state-wide program in 1998. Schools 
and communities have responded enthusiastically.
  The Heritage programs are community-wide, serving more than 29,000 
adolescents. The program's founder and CEO, Mrs. Anne Badgley, has been 
invited to address a number of Title V training programs across the 
country, as well as brief Pentagon undersecretaries of defense, the 
Army and Navy, and has testified before Congress.

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