[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 50 (Thursday, March 22, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3625-S3626]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LAUTENBERG (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. 
        Schumer, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Harkin, and Mr. Brown):
  S. 972. A bill to provide for the reduction of adolescent pregnancy, 
HIV rates, and other sexually transmitted diseases, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Responsible 
Education About Life or ``REAL'' Act along with my cosponsors Senators 
Kennedy, Murray, Schumer, Boxer, and Harkin.
  The REAL Act aims to reduce adolescent pregnancy, HIV rates, and 
other sexually transmitted diseases, by providing Federal funds for 
comprehensive sex education in schools.
  Comprehensive sex education is medically accurate, age appropriate 
education that includes information about both contraception and 
abstinence. It is an approach that tells our kids the truth.
  The REAL act will help young people make smart choices and give them 
all the information--not just the ``abstinence only'' side of the 
story.
  For years, taxpayer dollars have been flooded into unproven 
``abstinence-only'' programs--while no federal program is dedicated to 
comprehensive sex education.
  Under the Bush administration, Federal support for ``abstinence-
only'' education has expanded rapidly.
  The proof is in the numbers. In the last 4 years, the Federal 
government has spent over $680 million dollars on ``abstinence only'' 
programs. This year President Bush is asking for another $204 million 
dollars for ``abstinence only'' education despite little evidence that 
these programs actually work.
  Would you like to know how much money the government has devoted to 
comprehensive sex education programs over this same time? Zero dollars.
  Much of the taxpayer funds going to ``abstinence-only'' programs are 
essentially being wasted.
  After years of ``abstinence only'' programs, the United States still 
has the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the industrialized world and 
approximately 50 young Americans a day, an average of two an hour, are 
infected with HIV.
  We have tried denying young people information about contraception 
and STD prevention and now it is time to provide them with medically 
accurate comprehensive sex education.
  Comprehensive sex education simply works better.
  It is a fact that teenagers who receive sex education that includes 
discussion of contraception are more likely to delay sexual activity 
than those who receive abstinence-only education.
  The American public knows what works. Parents do not want sexual 
education programs limited to abstinence in schools. More than eight in 
10 Americans favor comprehensive sexuality education programs that 
include information about contraception over those that only promote 
abstinence.
  The stakes are high: of the 19 million cases of sexually transmitted 
diseases every year in the United States, almost half of them strike 
young people between the ages of 15 and 24.
  These aren't just numbers. These are our sons and daughters whose 
health and well-being are jeopardized when ideology comes before sound 
public policy.
  That is why we are introducing this legislation today. It's time for 
a more balanced approach; it's time to protect out kids, and it's time 
to get REAL.
  The REAL Act is step in a more effective direction. It brings sex 
education up-to-date in a way that will reflect the serious issues and 
real life situations millions of young people find themselves in every 
year.
  Young people have a right to accurate and complete information that 
could protect their health and even save their lives. I urge my 
colleagues to support the REAL Act and make it possible to give young 
people the tools to make safe and responsible decisions.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 972

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Responsible Education About 
     Life Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds as follows:
       (1) The American Medical Association (``AMA''), the 
     American Nurses Association (``ANA''), the American Academy 
     of Pediatrics (``AAP''), the American College of 
     Obstetricians and Gynecologists (``ACOG''), the American 
     Public Health Association (``APHA''), and the Society of 
     Adolescent Medicine (``SAM'') support responsible sexuality 
     education that includes information about both abstinence and 
     contraception.
       (2) Recent scientific reports by the Institute of Medicine, 
     the American Medical Association, and the Office on National 
     AIDS Policy stress the need for sexuality education that 
     includes messages about abstinence and provides young people 
     with information about contraception for the prevention of 
     teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted 
     diseases (``STDs'').
       (3) Government-funded abstinence-only-until-marriage 
     programs are precluded from discussing contraception except 
     to talk about failure rates. An October 2006 report from the 
     Government Accountability Office concluded that the current 
     administration of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs by 
     the Department of Health and Human Services (``HHS'') fails 
     to require medical accuracy of the vast majority of funded 
     programs and that no regular monitoring of medical accuracy 
     is being carried out by HHS. The Government Accountability 
     Office also reported on the Department's total lack of 
     appropriate and customary measurements to determine if funded 
     programs are effective. In addition, a separate letter from 
     the Government Accountability Office in October 2006 to the 
     Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt 
     contained a legal finding that the Department was in 
     violation of Federal law, in particular section 317P(c)(2) of 
     the Public Health Services Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-17(c)(2)), for 
     not requiring abstinence-only-until-marriage programs to 
     provide full and medically accurate information about the 
     effectiveness of condoms. The Department has argued that the 
     abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are exempt from the 
     law; however, the Government Accountability Office disagrees.
       (4) A 2006 statement from the American Public Health 
     Association (``APHA'') ``recognizes the importance of 
     abstinence education, but only as part of a comprehensive 
     sexuality education program . . . APHA calls for repealing 
     current federal funding for abstinence-only programs and 
     replacing it with funding for a new Federal program to 
     promote comprehensive sexuality education, combining 
     information about abstinence with age-appropriate sexuality 
     education.''.
       (5) The Society for Adolescent Medicine (``SAM'') in a 2006 
     position paper found the following: ``Efforts to promote 
     abstinence should be provided within health education 
     programs that provide adolescents with complete and accurate 
     information about sexual health, including information about 
     concepts of healthy sexuality, sexual orientation and 
     tolerance, personal responsibility, risks of HIV and other 
     STIs and unwanted pregnancy, access to reproductive health 
     care, and benefits and risks of condoms and other 
     contraceptive methods... Current funding for abstinence-only 
     programs should be replaced with funding for programs that 
     offer comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality 
     education''.
       (6) Research shows that teenagers who receive sexuality 
     education that includes discussion of contraception are more 
     likely than those who receive abstinence-only messages to 
     delay sexual activity and to use contraceptives when they do 
     become sexually active.
       (7) Comprehensive sexuality education programs respect the 
     diversity of values and beliefs represented in the community 
     and will complement and augment the sexuality education 
     children receive from their families.
       (8) The median age of puberty is 13 years and the average 
     age of marriage is over 26 years old. American teens need 
     access to full, complete, and medically and factually 
     accurate information regarding sexuality, including 
     contraception, STD/HIV prevention, and abstinence.
       (9) Although teen pregnancy rates are decreasing, the 
     United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the 
     industrialized world with between 750,000 and 850,000 teen 
     pregnancies each year. Between 75 and 90 percent of teen 
     pregnancies among 15- to 19-year olds are unintended.
       (10) A November 2006 study of declining pregnancy rates 
     among teens concluded that the reduction in teen pregnancy 
     between 1995 and 2002 is primarily the result of increased 
     use of contraceptives. As such, it is critically important 
     that teens receive accurate, unbiased information about 
     contraception.
       (11) More than eight out of ten Americans believe that 
     young people should have information about abstinence and 
     protecting themselves from unplanned pregnancies and sexually 
     transmitted diseases.
       (12) The United States has the highest rate of infection 
     with sexually transmitted diseases of any industrialized 
     country. In 2005, there were approximately 19,000,000 new

[[Page S3626]]

     cases of sexually transmitted diseases, almost half of them 
     occurring in young people ages 15 to 24. According to the 
     Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these sexually 
     transmitted diseases impose a tremendous economic burden with 
     direct medical costs as high as $14,100,000,000 per year.
       (13) Each year, teens in the United States contract an 
     estimated 9.1 million sexually transmitted infections. Each 
     year, one in four sexually active teens contracts a sexually 
     transmitted disease.
       (14) Nearly half of the 40,000 annual new cases of HIV 
     infections in the United States occur in youth ages 13 
     through 24. Approximately 50 young people a day, an average 
     of two young people every hour of every day, are infected 
     with HIV in the United States.
       (15) African-American and Latino youth have been 
     disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. 
     Although African-American adolescents ages 13 through 19 
     represent only 15 percent of the adolescent population in the 
     United States, they accounted for 73 percent of new AIDS 
     cases reported among teens in 2004. Although Latinos ages 20 
     through 24 represent only 18 percent of the young adults in 
     the United States, they accounted for 23 percent of the new 
     AIDS cases in 2004.

     SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO REDUCE TEEN PREGNANCY, HIV/AIDS, AND 
                   OTHER SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES AND TO 
                   SUPPORT HEALTHY ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT.

       (a) In General.--Each eligible State shall be entitled to 
     receive from the Secretary of Health and Human Services, for 
     each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012, a grant to 
     conduct programs of family life education, including 
     education on both abstinence and contraception for the 
     prevention of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted 
     diseases, including HIV/AIDS.
       (b) Requirements for Family Life Programs.--For purposes of 
     this Act, a program of family life education is a program 
     that--
       (1) is age-appropriate and medically accurate;
       (2) does not teach or promote religion;
       (3) teaches that abstinence is the only sure way to avoid 
     pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases;
       (4) stresses the value of abstinence while not ignoring 
     those young people who have had or are having sexual 
     intercourse;
       (5) provides information about the health benefits and side 
     effects of all contraceptives and barrier methods as a means 
     to prevent pregnancy;
       (6) provides information about the health benefits and side 
     effects of all contraceptives and barrier methods as a means 
     to reduce the risk of contracting sexually transmitted 
     diseases, including HIV/AIDS;
       (7) encourages family communication about sexuality between 
     parent and child;
       (8) teaches young people the skills to make responsible 
     decisions about sexuality, including how to avoid unwanted 
     verbal, physical, and sexual advances and how not to make 
     unwanted verbal, physical, and sexual advances; and
       (9) teaches young people how alcohol and drug use can 
     effect responsible decisionmaking.
       (c) Additional Activities.--In carrying out a program of 
     family life education, a State may expend a grant under 
     subsection (a) to carry out educational and motivational 
     activities that help young people--
       (1) gain knowledge about the physical, emotional, 
     biological, and hormonal changes of adolescence and 
     subsequent stages of human maturation;
       (2) develop the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure 
     and protect their sexual and reproductive health from 
     unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease, 
     including HIV/AIDS throughout their lifespan;
       (3) gain knowledge about the specific involvement of and 
     male responsibility in sexual decisionmaking;
       (4) develop healthy attitudes and values about adolescent 
     growth and development, body image, gender roles, racial and 
     ethnic diversity, sexual orientation, and other subjects;
       (5) develop and practice healthy life skills including 
     goal-setting, decisionmaking, negotiation, communication, and 
     stress management;
       (6) promote self-esteem and positive interpersonal skills 
     focusing on relationship dynamics, including, but not limited 
     to, friendships, dating, romantic involvement, marriage and 
     family interactions; and
       (7) prepare for the adult world by focusing on educational 
     and career success, including developing skills for 
     employment preparation, job seeking, independent living, 
     financial self-sufficiency, and workplace productivity.

     SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that while States are not 
     required to provide matching funds, they are encouraged to do 
     so.

     SEC. 5. EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS.

       (a) In General.--For the purpose of evaluating the 
     effectiveness of programs of family life education carried 
     out with a grant under section 3, evaluations of such program 
     shall be carried out in accordance with subsections (b) and 
     (c).
       (b) National Evaluation.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide for a national 
     evaluation of a representative sample of programs of family 
     life education carried out with grants under section 3. A 
     condition for the receipt of such a grant is that the State 
     involved agree to cooperate with the evaluation. The purposes 
     of the national evaluation shall be the determination of--
       (A) the effectiveness of such programs in helping to delay 
     the initiation of sexual intercourse and other high-risk 
     behaviors;
       (B) the effectiveness of such programs in preventing 
     adolescent pregnancy;
       (C) the effectiveness of such programs in preventing 
     sexually transmitted disease, including HIV/AIDS;
       (D) the effectiveness of such programs in increasing 
     contraceptive knowledge and contraceptive behaviors when 
     sexual intercourse occurs; and
       (E) a list of best practices based upon essential 
     programmatic components of evaluated programs that have led 
     to success in subparagraphs (A) through (D).
       (2) Report.--A report providing the results of the national 
     evaluation under paragraph (1) shall be submitted to the 
     Congress not later than March 31, 2011, with an interim 
     report provided on a yearly basis at the end of each fiscal 
     year.
       (c) Individual State Evaluations.--
       (1) In general.--A condition for the receipt of a grant 
     under section 3 is that the State involved agree to provide 
     for the evaluation of the programs of family education 
     carried out with the grant in accordance with the following:
       (A) The evaluation will be conducted by an external, 
     independent entity.
       (B) The purposes of the evaluation will be the 
     determination of--
       (i) the effectiveness of such programs in helping to delay 
     the initiation of sexual intercourse and other high-risk 
     behaviors;
       (ii) the effectiveness of such programs in preventing 
     adolescent pregnancy;
       (iii) the effectiveness of such programs in preventing 
     sexually transmitted disease, including HIV/AIDS; and
       (iv) the effectiveness of such programs in increasing 
     contraceptive knowledge and contraceptive behaviors when 
     sexual intercourse occurs.
       (2) Use of grant.--A condition for the receipt of a grant 
     under section 3 is that the State involved agree that not 
     more than 10 percent of the grant will be expended for the 
     evaluation under paragraph (1).

     SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

       For purposes of this Act:
       (1) The term ``eligible State'' means a State that submits 
     to the Secretary an application for a grant under section 3 
     that is in such form, is made in such manner, and contains 
     such agreements, assurances, and information as the Secretary 
     determines to be necessary to carry out this Act.
       (2) The term ``HIV/AIDS'' means the human immunodeficiency 
     virus, and includes acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
       (3) The term ``medically accurate'', with respect to 
     information, means information that is supported by research, 
     recognized as accurate and objective by leading medical, 
     psychological, psychiatric, and public health organizations 
     and agencies, and where relevant, published in peer review 
     journals.
       (4) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health 
     and Human Services.

     SEC. 7. APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) In General.--For the purpose of carrying out this Act, 
     there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
     necessary for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012.
       (b) Allocations.--Of the amounts appropriated under 
     subsection (a) for a fiscal year--
       (1) not more than 7 percent may be used for the 
     administrative expenses of the Secretary in carrying out this 
     Act for that fiscal year; and
       (2) not more than 10 percent may be used for the national 
     evaluation under section 5(b).
                                 ______