FPA in the News: 2007

Times Union

Proponents tout legislation on sex education: Healthy Teens Act aims funds at public school programs on safe sex

By: Cathleen F. Crowley

3.26.07

Some New Yorkers want public school sex education to get a little more real.

The Healthy Teens Act, a bill before the state Legislature, would establish a fund for school districts that teach abstinence and explain how to use birth control.

The federal government offers $13 million for abstinence-only programs but no money for sex education that teaches teenagers how to have safe sex, said JoAnne Smith, president and CEO of Family Planning Advocates of New York State.

"Young people deserve better," Smith said. "There is no evidence whatsoever, none, that abstinence programs work."

Sex education will be a major focus today at the 30th anniversary celebration of Family Planning Advocates, a nonprofit organization that represents Planned Parenthood agencies throughout the state and advocates for reproductive health services.

Cynthia Nixon, a star from the television show "Sex in the City," and Gov. Eliot Spitzer will speak today at the group's annual conference at Empire State Plaza Convention Center.

In New York, HIV education is mandatory, but sex education is not.

"It's really spotty at best," said Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, chairman of the Assembly Health Committee. "There are scattered schools that do a reasonable job. But it's a huge gap in many schools."

Gottfried authored the Healthy Teens Act and has sponsored it for several years in the Assembly. Last year, the Assembly approved the bill, but it died in the Senate. This year, Sen. George Winner, R-Elmira, is sponsoring it and Gottfried said he is hopeful it will pass.

No money amount is attached to the bill, but Gottfried said, "I think New York could easily spend $10 million or $20 million a year without wasting a nickel of it."

The money would be disbursed as grants to schools, school-based health centers and community-based groups. Eligible programs would not be allowed to promote a religious view, although moral, ethical and religious beliefs could be discussed.

The programs would teach that abstinence is the only sure way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, but would not ignore the fact that teenagers have sex.

'The bill certainly supports sex education about abstinence, but it understands that you need to address the needs of teenagers who are not abstaining; otherwise, you are pretending that you are living on a different planet," Gottfried said.

Comprehensive sex education delays teenagers from becoming sexually active, said Dr. John Santelli, a pediatrician and researcher from Columbia University's Mailman's School of Public Health.

Santelli spoke with legislators last week about research he's done at Columbia and the Centers for Disease Control.

"Giving kids correct information and complete information about contraception, about STDs, about pregnancy risk, helps them protect themselves," he said.

Federally funded abstinence programs don't do the job, he said. For example, when talking about condoms, the abstinence programs are only allowed to talk about their failure rates.

Teenagers need to know how to use birth control, and how to make responsible decisions about having sex, Smith said.

"We are leaving young people unable to take care of themselves and be healthy," she said. Cathleen F. Crowley can be reached at 454-5348 or by e-mail at ccrowley @timesunion.com.