A Closer Look at Florida
Healthy Teens Press Releases
Latest Press Releases
HEALTHY TEENS CAMPAIGN CALLS FOR COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION ON EIGHTH ANNUAL NATIONAL DAY TO PREVENT TEEN PREGNANCY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Adrienne Kimmell, 941.923.5500
May 6, 2009
HEALTHY TEENS CAMPAIGN CALLS FOR COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION ON EIGHTH ANNUAL
NATIONAL DAY TO PREVENT TEEN PREGNANCY
Florida has sixth highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation
Sarasota, FL — In recognition of the eighth annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, the Healthy Teens Campaign today called for comprehensive, medically accurate sex education programs in Florida to reduce the alarming rate of unintended teen pregnancies in this country.
“Teens deserve honest, accurate, age-appropriate information about how to protect themselves,” said Adrienne Kimmell, executive director of the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates and Healthy Teens Campaign spokesperson. “They need sex education that provides information about healthy communication, responsible decision making, as well as abstinence and contraception as ways to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.”
The U.S. teen birthrate increased for the second year in a row, according to data released in March by the National Center for Health Statistics. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reports the U.S. has the highest rates of teen pregnancy among comparable countries. An estimated 750,000 American teens become pregnant each year. Florida’s teen pregnancy rate is the 6th highest in the nation. Florida’s teen birth rate also increased in 2006 for the first time in 15 years and is 3 percent higher than the national average.
In an effort to raise awareness among the public and elected officials, the Healthy Teens Campaign is circulating a video petition urging support for the Healthy Teens Act. The Healthy Teens Act, introduced by Sen. Deutch (D-30) and Rep. Fitzgerald (D-69) in 2009, requires Florida public schools that already teach information about sexually transmitted infections, family planning, and pregnancy to provide medically-accurate and comprehensive sex education – including facts about abstinence and methods of preventing unintended pregnancy and the spread of diseases.
Providing teens and young people with the information they need to make responsible decisions is the commonsense solution to reducing unintended teen pregnancy. Numerous studies have analyzed abstinence-only programs and found them to be ineffective.
A recent report by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) and the Healthy Teens Campaign found that abstinence-only programs in Florida provide inaccurate and outdated information, reinforce gender stereotypes, and rely on fear and shame-based tactics to discourage sexual activity. A study by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reports that two-thirds of the examined sex education programs that focus on both abstinence and contraception had a positive effect on teen sexual behavior. And a 2008 Guttmacher Institute report found that most abstinence programs did not delay initiation of sexual activity.
President Barack Obama has consistently supported comprehensive and age-appropriate sex education. As a senator, President Obama was an original co-sponsor of the Prevention First Act, which would ensure that all taxpayer-funded federal programs are medically accurate and include information about contraception.
The majority of Floridians support comprehensive sex education. Polling by Hamilton-Beattie & Staff and Public Opinion Strategies shows that an overwhelming 78% of Florida registered voters support a proposal that would require sex education to be taught in Florida public schools.
For more information, please visit The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy or The Healthy Teens Campaign.
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Healthy Teens Campaign is a broad-based group of over 90 public health, faith-based, education, and medical organizations working together to advocate for comprehensive sex education in Florida public schools to improve the health and safety of Florida teens. www.HealthyTeensFlorida.org
New Report Reveals Young People in Florida Suffer from Negative Health Outcomes, Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Adrienne Kimmell, 941.923.5500
March 3, 2009
New Report Reveals Young People in Florida Suffer from Negative Health Outcomes, Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs
Sarasota, Florida -- Yesterday, the Healthy Teens Campaign and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), released a report outlining the status of sexual health and sex education in Florida. The report, Sex Education in the Sunshine State: How Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs Are Keeping Florida’s Youth in the Dark, found that young people in Florida are currently experiencing some of the worst sexual health outcomes in the country and yet, are also subjected to ineffective abstinence-only-until-marriage programs more than youth in any other state with the exception of Texas.
In 2006, Florida ranked 5th in new reported cases of HIV and 2nd in new reported cases of AIDS. Young people are increasingly impacted by the high rate of HIV infection. In 2007, persons under the age of 25 accounted for 15 percent of new HIV infections in the state. Adolescent pregnancy and childbearing are also major health concerns in Florida. The state’s teen pregnancy rate is the 6th highest in the nation. Florida’s teen birth rate also increased in 2006 for the first time in 15 years and is 3 percent higher than the national average.
“Many abstinence-only-until-marriage programs provide inaccurate and outdated information, reinforce gender stereotypes, and rely on fear and shame-based tactics to discourage sexual activity. This is unacceptable in Florida,” said Adrienne Kimmell, Healthy Teens Campaign member and executive director of the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates. “By continuing to accept federal funding for ineffective abstinence-only programs, and failing to support and expand comprehensive sex education, Florida is putting the health and well being of its young people at risk.”
Florida received $13,101,054 in federal abstinence-only-until-marriage funding for Fiscal Year 2008. This is the second highest amount of federal abstinence-only-until-marriage funding for all states and territories. There are 32 entities in Florida that provide abstinence-only-until-marriage programs throughout the state, including faith-based groups, crisis pregnancy centers and the extreme right-wing.
While a 2007 study commissioned by the federal government showed that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are ineffective, many of these national, harmful programs have established themselves in Florida. These programs have many flaws including withholding basic information about how effective condoms can be, promoting heterosexual marriage as the only acceptable lifestyle, fostering discriminating gender myths, relying on messages of fear and shame, and providing outdated materials. The report released today takes an in depth look at the way these programs affect Florida youth.
“As a state, we cannot continue to deny Florida teens the education and information that is necessary for them to make healthy and safe life decisions as they grow older,” added Kimmell. “Our Legislature and Governor have the opportunity to ensure that all teens have the tools to protect themselves and make responsible decisions. It’s time to pass the Healthy Teens Act and reject ineffective abstinence-only funding.”
The Healthy Teens Act (SB 220 by Sen. Deutch (D-30) and HB 265 by Rep. Fitzgerald (D-69)) requires Florida public schools that already teach information about sexually transmitted infections, family planning, and pregnancy to provide medically-accurate and comprehensive sex education – including facts about abstinence and methods of preventing unintended pregnancy and the spread of diseases.
The report contains information on Florida Counties including Broward, Clay, Desoto, Duval, Highlands, Hillsborough, Leon, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Sumter, Orange, Oscela and Walton. The full report can be found here and highlights can be found here. For more information, please contact Adrienne.Kimmell@fappa.org.
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Healthy Teens Campaign is a broad-based group of over 80 public health, faith-based, education, and medical organizations working together to advocate for comprehensive sex education in Florida public schools to improve the health and safety of Florida teens. www.HealthyTeensFlorida.org
March 3, 2009
New Report Reveals Young People in Florida Suffer from Negative Health Outcomes, Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs
Sarasota, Florida -- Yesterday, the Healthy Teens Campaign and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), released a report outlining the status of sexual health and sex education in Florida. The report, Sex Education in the Sunshine State: How Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs Are Keeping Florida’s Youth in the Dark, found that young people in Florida are currently experiencing some of the worst sexual health outcomes in the country and yet, are also subjected to ineffective abstinence-only-until-marriage programs more than youth in any other state with the exception of Texas.
In 2006, Florida ranked 5th in new reported cases of HIV and 2nd in new reported cases of AIDS. Young people are increasingly impacted by the high rate of HIV infection. In 2007, persons under the age of 25 accounted for 15 percent of new HIV infections in the state. Adolescent pregnancy and childbearing are also major health concerns in Florida. The state’s teen pregnancy rate is the 6th highest in the nation. Florida’s teen birth rate also increased in 2006 for the first time in 15 years and is 3 percent higher than the national average.
“Many abstinence-only-until-marriage programs provide inaccurate and outdated information, reinforce gender stereotypes, and rely on fear and shame-based tactics to discourage sexual activity. This is unacceptable in Florida,” said Adrienne Kimmell, Healthy Teens Campaign member and executive director of the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates. “By continuing to accept federal funding for ineffective abstinence-only programs, and failing to support and expand comprehensive sex education, Florida is putting the health and well being of its young people at risk.”
Florida received $13,101,054 in federal abstinence-only-until-marriage funding for Fiscal Year 2008. This is the second highest amount of federal abstinence-only-until-marriage funding for all states and territories. There are 32 entities in Florida that provide abstinence-only-until-marriage programs throughout the state, including faith-based groups, crisis pregnancy centers and the extreme right-wing.
While a 2007 study commissioned by the federal government showed that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are ineffective, many of these national, harmful programs have established themselves in Florida. These programs have many flaws including withholding basic information about how effective condoms can be, promoting heterosexual marriage as the only acceptable lifestyle, fostering discriminating gender myths, relying on messages of fear and shame, and providing outdated materials. The report released today takes an in depth look at the way these programs affect Florida youth.
“As a state, we cannot continue to deny Florida teens the education and information that is necessary for them to make healthy and safe life decisions as they grow older,” added Kimmell. “Our Legislature and Governor have the opportunity to ensure that all teens have the tools to protect themselves and make responsible decisions. It’s time to pass the Healthy Teens Act and reject ineffective abstinence-only funding.”
The Healthy Teens Act (SB 220 by Sen. Deutch (D-30) and HB 265 by Rep. Fitzgerald (D-69)) requires Florida public schools that already teach information about sexually transmitted infections, family planning, and pregnancy to provide medically-accurate and comprehensive sex education – including facts about abstinence and methods of preventing unintended pregnancy and the spread of diseases.
The report contains information on Florida Counties including Broward, Clay, Desoto, Duval, Highlands, Hillsborough, Leon, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Sumter, Orange, Oscela and Walton. The full report can be found here and highlights can be found here. For more information, please contact Adrienne.Kimmell@fappa.org.
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Healthy Teens Campaign is a broad-based group of over 80 public health, faith-based, education, and medical organizations working together to advocate for comprehensive sex education in Florida public schools to improve the health and safety of Florida teens. www.HealthyTeensFlorida.org
GOVERNOR CRIST AGREES TO REVIEW FLORIDA’S ABSTINENCE-ONLY FUNDING
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Adrienne Kimmell, 941.923.5500
February 18, 2009
GOVERNOR CRIST AGREES TO REVIEW FLORIDA’S
ABSTINENCE-ONLY FUNDING
Sarasota, FL — The Healthy Teens Campaign, a broad-based group of over 80 organizations working together to advocate for comprehensive sex education in Florida public schools to improve the health and safety of Florida teens, applauded Governor Crist today for his commitment to “review abstinence-only funding.”
At a town hall meeting today in Ft. Lauderdale, Governor Crist was asked a question about government inefficiencies and wasting taxpayer dollars on ineffective abstinence-only programs.
In response, Governor Crist said that he will “review abstinence-only funding.”
“The weight of the evidence cannot be ignored, and it is time to answer tough questions about why we continue to waste millions of dollars a year on a policy that has failed to keep teens healthy and safe,” said Adrienne Kimmell, Healthy Teens Campaign member and executive director of the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates. “We encourage Governor Crist to take the next step and join the 25 governors who no longer accept federal abstinence-only funding.”
Currently, Florida receives the 2nd highest amount of federal abstinence-only funding in the country – nearly $13 million. In fiscal year 2008, Florida spent $6 million on abstinence-only programs through federal Title V abstinence-only funding, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Maternal and Child Health Grant Block (MCHGB) funding, despite the fact that abstinence-only programs have been proven ineffective.
Between 1991 and 2004 there have been more than 345,000 teen births in Florida, costing taxpayers a total of $8.1 billion over this period. In 2004 alone, the cost of 23,804 births to teen mothers, age 0–19, on Federal, State and Local Governments, and the taxpayers who support them totaled $489,158,000. Of the total costs, 52% were federal costs, and 48% were state costs.
“Abstinence-only programs waste taxpayer dollars in the short-term and long-term,” added Kimmell. “These programs have failed to be effective in preventing unintended pregnancy and the spread of disease which wastes money now and costs the taxpayers later.”
Several recent studies have found abstinence-only programs to be ineffective. A nine-year, large-scale federally funded evaluation of the Title V program found no measurable impact on increasing abstinence or delaying sexual initiation among participating youth. Instead, it found that these programs actually decreased adolescents’ confidence regarding the ability of condoms to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Last year, the nonpartisan National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy also found that abstinence-only programs have no real impact on teen sexual behavior. In addition, a 2004 congressional report found more than two-thirds of these programs distort information and mislead young people by giving them false information about contraception.
Click here for a link to the audio clip of Gov. Crist's response.
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Healthy Teens Campaign is a broad-based group of over 80 public health, faith-based, education, and medical organizations working together to advocate for comprehensive sex education in Florida public schools to improve the health and safety of Florida teens. www.HealthyTeensFlorida.org