<<http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=147-03092004>>
Virginity Pledges Do Not Reduce Rates of Sexually Transmitted Diseases; More Evidence that Young People Need Comprehensive Sexuality Education NEW YORK, March 9 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A report released today at the National STD Prevention Conference in Philadelphia the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that virginity pledges do not reduce the rates of STDs. After the Promise: The Long-Term Consequences of Adolescent Virginity Pledges found that young people who took "virginity pledges," public promises to remain abstinent until marriage, have the same rates of STDs as young people who had not taken such a the pledge. The study concluded that teens who took the pledge were much less likely to use condoms when they did become sexually active. Once the exclusive province of religious institutions, virginity pledges are now the cornerstone of many federally funded abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. Federal and state lawmakers have eagerly spent nearly $900 million dollars on these unproven and potentially harmful programs, and President Bush is seeking to spend an additional $270 million. "This study clearly demonstrates that it is critical for us to provide all our young people with open, honest, and medically accurate information to protect themselves against STDs," said Tamara Kreinin, President and CEO of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS). "It is time for lawmakers, including President Bush, to stop using young people for political purposes and stand up for their health and their futures," Kreinin continued. "We know what works. Comprehensive education about sexuality that fully informs youth about their sexual health, including messages about abstinence and contraception, have been proven to delay sexual activity and increase contraceptive use," Kreinin said. "Virginity pledge programs are undermining the use of contraception and putting young people at risk when they become sexually active," Kreinin said. "The programs and are just one more example of the failed policies of the abstinence-only-until- marriage movement," Kreinin continued. ----- Shrub 04: Don't Switch Horsemen Mid-Apocalypse _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
