As early as next week, the U.S. Senate is expected to consider a bipartisan amendment to S. 105, the TANF reauthorization, by Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) to give states flexibility in how they spend federal sex-education dollars. Current law forces states to use federal funds exclusively for abstinence-only programs, that is, programs that prohibit the discussion with teens of any disease- and pregnancy-prevention methods besides abstinence. Moreover, these provisions have become the precedent lawmakers use to incorporate similar provisions in US funded programs to fight HIV/AIDS in the developing world. While the Episcopal Church strongly supports programs that emphasize the teaching of abstinence to young people, it also supports providing teens with information on the full range of options to reduce unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. Click here for more information.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
The vote on the Baucus-Chafee amendment is expected to be extremely close, so it’s vitally important that senators hear from their constituents in support of the proposal. Click here to send a message to your lawmakers urging them to support the Baucus-Chafee amendment.

Remember, the more voices we have the more clearly our message will be heard on Capitol Hill. Click here to forward this message to a friend.