[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21780]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         REJECT FUNDING FOR ABSTINENCE-ONLY EDUCATION PROGRAMS

  (Mrs. CAPPS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, 750,000 American teenagers will become 
pregnant this year. This is clear evidence of a serious problem in our 
country. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and 
Unplanned Pregnancy, teen parents are less likely to complete their 
education and more likely to depend on welfare.
  Unfortunately, for the last several years the Bush administration has 
insisted we waste money on abstinence-only education programs that the 
GAO has deemed ineffective. In fact, a University of Washington study 
revealed that students who receive comprehensive sex education are less 
likely to become teen parents than those who receive abstinence-only 
information.
  Not surprisingly, my home State of California, which rejects title V 
abstinence-only funding, has a teen birth rate that is lower than the 
national average.
  Madam Speaker, we need to teach our children commonsense 
decisionmaking skills and not withhold vitally important health 
information from them. I urge my colleagues to join me in rejecting any 
future funding for abstinence-only education. Instead, let's spend it 
where we will see real results.

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