[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 3, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H4796]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          ABSTINENCE EDUCATION

  (Mr. WELDON of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WELDON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind my 
colleagues of the devastating effect of sexual activity on our Nation's 
youth.
  Just today the Heritage Foundation released a new report entitled 
``Sexually Active Teenagers Are More Likely to Be Depressed And to 
Attempt Suicide.'' In this study, Robert Rector, Kirk Johnson, and 
Lauren Noyes outlined the psychological and emotional aspects 
associated with teenage sexual activity.
  The data shows that there is a real correlation between teen sexual 
activity and depression and even between sexual activity and suicide in 
the ages of 14 through 17. Sexually active teenage girls are three 
times more likely to be depressed than their classmates who are 
abstinent. Sexually active boys in their teens are more than twice as 
likely to be depressed. Furthermore, 14 percent of sexually active 
teenage girls report having attempted suicide, a three-fold increase 
over their peers who are abstinent.
  This report demonstrates the value of abstinence education.

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