[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 27 (Thursday, February 13, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E263-E264]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               ABSTINENCE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSEPH R. PITTS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 13, 2003

  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the funding 
for abstinence-until-marriage education in this bill, and I thank the 
Chairman for his leadership on this important issue.
  Today, the results of a landmark Zogby International survey assessing 
parental attitudes on sex education have been released to the public. 
The Zogby poll reveals strong parental approval for character-based, 
abstinence-until-marriage programs and proves that parents soundly 
reject the goals and content of so-called ``comprehensive'' sex 
education. The results are available online at www.whatparentsthink.com
  According to the Zogby poll, 73.5 percent of parents approve or 
strongly approve of abstinence-centered sex education. 61.1 percent of 
parents disapprove or strongly disapprove of so-called comprehensive'' 
or ``safe sex'' education. 75.3 percent of parents disapprove or 
strongly disapprove of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) sex 
education curriculum.
  When parents are accurately informed about what ``comprehensive'' sex 
education actually entails, which includes distributing condoms in 
schools, they make it clear that they do not want their children to be 
inundated with ``safesex'' propaganda. Instead, parents want their 
children to be taught self-respect, self-control and abstinence-until-
marriage.
  This survey marks the first time parents have been polled using the 
exact language from comprehensive sex education guidelines. The major 
weaknesses of previous polls are their misleading questions and fuzzy 
interpretations. In this poll, Zogby used exact definitions and 
verbatim wording from the comprehensive sex education curricula 
developed and endorsed by such groups as the Sexuality Information and 
Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) and Planned Parenthood.
  The Zogby organization also found that: All demographic groupings 
strongly disapprove of comprehensive sex education--especially non-
white minorities (Hispanics and Asians). And, 70 percent of parents 
strongly disapprove of their teens getting contraceptives without their 
approval.
  Mr. Speaker, America's parents have spoken. They want abstinence-
until-marriage education. This bill ensures that the values many 
American parents hold dear:--the values of abstinence and marital 
faithfulness are not determined by taxpayer-funded ``safe-sex'' 
propaganda in schools.
  I encourage my colleagues to join America's parents in supporting 
this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

    Coalition for Adolescent Sexual Health--Summary of Key Findings


                               Background

       Zogby International conducted the survey on behalf of the 
     Coalition for Adolescent Sexual Health, an ad hoc association 
     formed exclusively for the purpose of conducting the poll.
       Private foundations that wish to remain anonymous paid for 
     the cost of the survey.
       The random sample survey was conducted January 11 to 15. A 
     total of 1,245 adult parents of children ages 5 to 18 were 
     interviewed with an over-sampling of African Americans. The 
     margins of error were: Total MOA = +/-2.8 percent; Whites MOA 
     = +/-3.3 percent; All non-whites MOA = +/-5.5 percent; Blacks 
     MOA = +/- 6.3 percent; Born again Christians = +/-5.6%.
       The total sample was approximately evenly split among 
     fathers of children in grades K-6, fathers of children in 
     grades 7-12, mothers of children in grades K-6 and mothers of 
     children in grades 7-12.


                         Need for Zogby survey

        Previous surveys by groups such as Alan Guttmacher 
     Institute, Planned Parenthood, Sexuality Information and 
     Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), and 
     Advocates for Youth have had serious flaws: Biased sample 
     selection; Leading questions; Deceptive questions; Biased 
     interpretation of results.
       Such surveys have been used to claim that parents support 
     comprehensive sex education (also known as ``safer-sex'' or 
     ``abstinence-first'' sex education) and that parents oppose 
     character-based, abstinence-until-marriage sex education.
       Such surveys describe comprehensive sex education using 
     innocuous, vague, euphemistic, and almost compassionate 
     wording designed to convince parents that such education is 
     needed for their children's health and well being.

[[Page E264]]

           How the questions in the Zogby poll were developed

       Five types of questions were included in the Zogby survey. 
     All 29 questions in the survey were developed to introduce a 
     minimum level of bias.
       Fourteen questions asked parents their level of approval 
     for comprehensive sex education. The questions asked verbatim 
     components of the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality 
     Education. These guidelines, developed in 1990 by the 
     Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United 
     States (in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control 
     and Prevention [CDC], the National School Boards Association, 
     Planned Parenthood and others) represent the foundation of 
     comprehensive or abstinence-first sex education. In short, 
     these guidelines detail what comprehensive sex education 
     wants children and adolescents to learn. When organizations 
     such as Planned Parenthood, SIECUS, the Alan Guttmacher 
     Institute, and Advocates for Youth lobby Congress, state 
     legislatures and school boards on behalf of comprehensive sex 
     education, it is these guidelines that they have in mind. 
     (See questions 7 through 20.)
       Six questions asked parents their level of approval for 
     character-based, abstinence-until-marriage sex education. 
     These questions asked verbatim portions from the National 
     Guidelines for Sexuality and Character Education. These 
     guidelines, developed in 1996 by the Medical Institute for 
     Sexual Health, are considered by many abstinence groups to 
     represent the foundation for abstinence education. (See 
     questions 1 through 6.)
       Four questions asked parents their level of approval for 
     comprehensive sex education curricula promoted for years by 
     the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 
     questions paraphrased teaching material from these curricula. 
     (See questions 25 through 28.)
       Four questions reflect different aspects of comprehensive 
     sex education not specifically covered by other questions. 
     (See questions 21, 23, 24 and 29.)
       One question asked parents their level of approval for 
     comprehensive sex education using the type of vague, 
     innocuous wording typically used in the past by groups 
     attempting to show parental approval for comprehensive sex 
     education. This question was included for benchmark purposes. 
     (See question 22.)


                             Major finding

       Parents overwhelmingly reject comprehensive sex education 
     when they are asked questions that deal specifically with the 
     topics included in comprehensive sex education.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    Percent
                                                       of     Percent of
                                                    parents     parents
                                                      who         who
                                                    approve   disapprove
                                                       or      or strong
                                                    strongly  disapprove
                                                    approve
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comprehensive or abstinence-first sex education         25.0        61.1
 guidelines......................................
Character-based, abstinence-sex education               73.5        16.3
 guidelines......................................
CDC-promoted comprehensive sex education                13.9        75.3
 curricula.......................................
Misc. aspects of comprehensive sex education.....       22.4        68.1
------------------------------------------------------------------------

       By a 4.6 to 1 margin, parents approve or strongly approve 
     of abstinence sex education. By a 2.4 to 1 margin, parents 
     disapprove or strongly disapprove of comprehensive sex 
     education. By a 5.3 to I margin, parents disapprove or 
     strongly disapprove of the information contained in 
     comprehensive sex education curricula that have been promoted 
     by the CDC.
       All demographic groupings strongly disapprove of 
     comprehensive sex education, although the strongest 
     opposition was found among non-white minority parents 
     (Hispanics and Asians) and among parents who identified 
     themselves as born-again Christians.
       All demographic groups disapprove of comprehensive sex 
     education curricula that have been promoted by the CDC.


                     Findings on specific questions

       By a 4.4 to 1 margin, parents disapprove or strongly 
     disapprove of teaching young people that homosexual love 
     relationships can be as satisfying as are heterosexual 
     relationships. (See question 14.)
       It appears that parents have a more mixed opinion on the 
     matter of having children taught factual or biological 
     information (see questions 13, 18 and 19, for example). 
     However, opposition from parents seems to increase 
     substantially if a connection is perceived between their 
     children and sexual activity.
       When it comes to allowing teens to obtain contraception 
     without parental approval, parents much more strongly 
     disapprove when their own children are involved. About 46 
     percent of parents either strongly disapprove or disapprove 
     of the idea that teens could obtain contraception without the 
     permission of a parent. (See question 27.) However, when this 
     question was personalized, about 70 percent of parents either 
     strongly disapprove or disapprove of their child being able 
     to obtain contraception without their knowledge or approval. 
     (See question 29.)

                          ____________________