NEW YORK - July 19 - The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS) announces the third edition of "SIECUS State Profiles: A Portrait of Sexuality Education and Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs," the most comprehensive document of its kind detailing sexuality education and abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in states and communities. This report comes on the heels of a July 17 report by Rep. Waxman (Calif.) that found that more than $30 million federal dollars have been funneled to anti-choice crisis pregnancy centers through abstinence-only-until-marriage accounts.

"There are encouraging signs. One of the most significant findings is that there is increasing push back against these unproven programs," said William Smith, vice president for public policy at SIECUS. "With no sound research and no support from the public health community, it is clear that citizens and policymakers in states and communities are deciding a better approach is needed," Smith continued.

"Troubling issues do persist. As SIECUS' research has shown, and backed by the Waxman report earlier in the week, millions of dollars have been pumped into anti-choice crisis pregnancy centers and other right-wing groups," said the report's primary author Rebecca Fox. "The curricula continue to be riddled with false and misleading information and taxpayer money is being inappropriately used to fuel the spread of these programs in the states," Fox continued.

Since 1998, more than $1 billion federal taxpayer dollars have been poured into abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, almost $800 million of which were granted between 2001 and 2006. The total amount of federal dollars for these programs in 2005 was $212 million, with Texas logging in with the most at more than $16 million and Florida right behind at almost $12 million. In Fiscal Year 2006, $218 million was spent and $241.5 million has been proposed by the President for Fiscal Year 2007.

SIECUS' major findings in this report include:

States are pushing back against federal dictates that violate state norms, values and laws:

-- Maine joined California and Pennsylvania in rejecting one type of federal abstinence-only-until-marriage funding; Title V funding that comes to the states through the federal welfare law. Tighter restrictions from Washington, D.C. meant Maine could likely have violated its own law that mandates comprehensive sexuality education if it had not rejected the money.

-- New Mexico's concerns about the content of abstinence-only- until-marriage programs and the lack of evidence that they work, resulted in a decision to restrict its Title V money to programs in the 6th grade and below. The Bush Administration, staunchly defending the primacy of its own dictates on abstinence and marriage promotion, has maintained that New Mexico is out of compliance.

-- Ohio's public health advocates have grown increasingly concerned about the use of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in their state. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine's Report on Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs in Ohio found that the curricula contained false and misleading information about contraception and abortion, misrepresented religious beliefs as facts, and presented gender stereotypes as universal truths.

The tide is turning in many states in favor of more comprehensive programs:

-- New York and Illinois had promising attempts to fund comprehensive sexuality education through well-designed programs. New York's Healthy Teen's Act passed the state assembly, but fell one vote short in the state senate. Illinois' bill passed out of their Senate Health and Human Services committee on a vote of 7 to 2.

Funding continued to flow to crisis pregnancy centers and other anti-choice organizations:

-- Massachusetts' Gov. Mitt Romney (R) included language in his 2005 budget that forced federal abstinence-only-until- marriage funds to be used solely for classroom education and not advertising or media, as the state had previously done. Additionally, Romney directed that the money would be given to A Woman's Concern, a crisis pregnancy center and already the recipient of an additional $1.5 million federal tax dollars. Moreover, Romney cut $28 million in state dollars formerly dedicated to health education in schools.

-- New Jersey doles out over one-third of its dollars to crisis pregnancy centers and more than 60 percent to anti-choice groups, many of whom are reported to be using the Silent Scream, a widely discredited video that purports to portray an abortion from "the fetus's view." This video was found to be scientifically, medically, and legally inaccurate years ago.

Problematic curricula continue to spread:

A.C. Green's Game Plan and Choosing the Best are the two most widely used programs. The Heritage Keepers program is also becoming increasingly popular.

-- According to A.C. Green's Game Plan, "even if you've been sexually active, it's never too late to say no. You can't go back, but you can go forward. You might feel guilty or untrustworthy, but you can start over again."

Game Plan expanded from eight states in 2004, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, New York and Virginia to 15 in 2005. These additional states include Arkansas, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maine, New Mexico, Ohio, and South Dakota.

-- Choosing the Best LIFE states that "relationships often lower the self-respect of both partners -- one feeling used, the other feeling like the user. Emotional pain can cause a downward spiral leading to intense feelings of lack of worthlessness."

Choosing the Best expanded from 11 states in 2004, Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, and Texas, to 17 in 2005, adding Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Ohio.

-- Heritage Keepers asks, "Why is it likely that weak people would choose risky behaviors, like drugs, alcohol, sex outside of marriage, or violence?"

Heritage Keepers, once isolated to South Carolina, is now used in at least seven states including, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Nebraska, Rhode Island.

"Much work remains. Our own research, as well as the reports of Representative Waxman on these programs, demonstrates that oversight and accountability of taxpayer's dollars is desperately needed. The good news is that the tide is turning and it is coming from parents, youth and families who are standing up to the extremism and failure of the 'no-sex, get married' approach," Smith said.

To view the full report, please go to: http://www.siecus.org/policy/states/index.html.

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