[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6489]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE SEXUALITY INFORMATION AND EDUCATION COUNCIL OF THE UNITED 
                            STATES (SIECUS)

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 29, 2014

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States 
(SIECUS) as it celebrates 50 years of advancing policies and education 
on sexuality and sexual and reproductive health. Founded in 1964, 
SIECUS is dedicated to ensuring the sexual health and well-being of our 
nation's youth and people of all ages.
  With the month of April dedicated to STD Awareness, April 10th 
recognized as National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and the month of 
May dedicated to Teen Pregnancy Prevention, we acknowledge the 
continued need for health and sexual education for our nation's young 
people. I commend SIECUS for its tireless work and commitment to 
ensuring social justice and sexual rights for all people over the 
course of the past five decades.
  While teen pregnancy and birth rates in the United States have 
declined to historic lows, the United States continues to have one of 
the highest teen pregnancy rates among comparable countries and 
pregnancy rate disparities--whether by race or geography--among young 
people persist. Additionally, young people are bearing the burden of 
new HIV incidence and other sexuality transmitted infections.
  Through teacher training, policymaker education, parent and health 
care provider resources, and national and state partnerships, SIECUS 
has strived to advance comprehensive sexual education across the 
country to help address these alarming facts and equip young people 
with the information and resources they need to lead healthy lives.
  Through the vision and leadership put forward by SIECUS, there have 
been renewed efforts to invest in effective evidence-informed, 
medically accurate, age-appropriate, and inclusive sexual health 
education over the past four years.
  In my congressional district alone, efforts to support the Division 
of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) has allowed the Oakland Unified 
School District (OUSD) to effectively collect and report vital student 
health data and deliver exemplary sexual health education with an 
emphasis on HIV and STD prevention. Furthermore, adolescent access to 
key sexual health services has increased along with the establishment 
of a safe and supportive environment for both students and staff.
  Moreover, the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, an initiative 
that SIECUS also seeks to strengthen and support, has greatly impacted 
the Alameda County Public Health Department. Currently, Alameda County 
provides evidence-based HIV, STD, and teen pregnancy prevention to more 
than 1,500 young people in eighteen OUSD Middle Schools.
  Therefore, on behalf of California's 13th Congressional District, I 
want to extend my congratulations to SIECUS on this important 
milestone. I wish them continued success in advancing comprehensive 
sexual education and the health of all people.

                          ____________________