Last week, the House Labor HHS subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee debated funding for sex education, but results of this debate have not yet been released. The President proposed $129 million for the Office of Adolescent Health’s Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Initiative in his FY 2011 budget, an increase of $19 million over the current year. He did not prioritize any funds to risk avoidance, however. In a letter sent to Chairman Obey, a select number of concerned Democratic Members of Congress encouraged the committee to reestablish funds for the abstinence prevention approach. Read the letter here:

http://gallery.mailchimp.com/e71e76ba0a0760415775e4352/files/FY11_Abstinence_Education_Letter.pdf

Action step:

Call and email the following Members of Congress, thanking them for supporting abstinence-centered education.

Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK) : 202-225-2701
Rep. Jim Marshall (D-GA) : 202-225-6531
Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC) : 202-225-2731
Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) : 202-225-5701

Next steps in appropriation’s process:

• While some House Appropriations full committee markups are scheduled this week, the Labor HHS full committee markup is not yet scheduled. Keep track of scheduled events here:
http://appropriations.house.gov/

• Contact House Appropriations members, urging them to support priority funding for abstinence-centered education in the full committee markup. Find House committee members here:
http://appropriations.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95&Itemid=138

• Senate Labor HHS markup is likely next week. Contact your Senators on the committee, urging them to include specific funding for abstinence education within the Teen Pregnancy Prevention funding. Find members here:
http://appropriations.senate.gov/sc-labor.cfm

The July 19 edition of Roll Call notes that the entire process could be stalled later this year, making current efforts one of the few opportunities to impact the process: “With a high-stakes election bearing down on them and partisan gridlock stalling most legislation in the Senate, Democrats have begun to acknowledge that the federal government will not be fully funded until after November and may even have to wait until 2011.”

*Taken from an alert issued by NAEA.

Democratic House Members recently sent a letter to Appropriations Committee Chairman, David Obey (D-WI). The letter asks that the FY 2011 budget include a priority on the risk avoidance abstinence education approach. As presently written, legislative language within the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program strays from the typical public health model which emphasizes primary prevention. NAEA appreciates the leadership of the Congressmen who support optimal sexual health for youth.

Action step: Call and email the following Members of Congress, thanking them for supporting abstinence-centered education.
Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK) : 202-225-2701
Rep. Jim Marshall (D-GA) : 202-225-6531
Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC) : 202-225-2731
Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) : 202-225-5701

Read the letter here.

On Wednesday, HHS released “The Affordable Care Act’s New Rules on Preventive Care” in which they named what services must be offered free of charge to Americans  who  ”enroll in a new health plan on or after September 23, 2010…The plan will be required to cover recommended preventive services without charging … a copay, co-insurance or deductible.” Presently, the mandates do not include contraceptives, but The Daily Beast suggests that this may be a reality very soon. In the article, NAEA stressed that risk avoidance must be the priority in any policy for teen sexual health: “We don’t want to see the sexual health of our young people compromised. We are concerned that if there isn’t a policy correction, that will be the result. We welcome continued conversations with the [Obama] administration.

http://www.healthcare.gov/law/about/provisions/services/index.html

Tuesday, the President unveiled a nationwide approach to fight HIV/AIDS in America.  The proposal would create a uniform strategy coordinating federal, state and community efforts.
According to the report,
“The United States currently provides more than $19 billion in annual funding for domestic HIV prevention, care, and research, and there are constraints on the magnitude of any potential new investments in the Federal budget “

The new policy recognizes the priority of abstinence to reducing the transmission of HIV as : “ scientifically proven biomedical and behavioral [approach] that reduce the probability of HIV transmission:
••Abstinence from sex or drug use: Abstaining from sexual activity and substance use reduces the risk of HIV infection. In cases where this may not be possible, limiting the number of partners and taking other steps can lower the risk of acquiring HIV.”
The plan, however, does not detail how risk avoidance will be a meaningful part of the implementation effort.

 http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/onap/nhas

Democratic House Members recently sent a letter to Appropriations Committee Chairman, David Obey (D-WI). The letter asks that the FY 2011 budget include a priority on the risk avoidance abstinence education approach. As presently written, legislative language within the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program strays from the typical public health model which emphasizes primary prevention. NAEA appreciates the leadership of the Congressmen who support optimal sexual health for youth.

Action step: Call and email the following Members of Congress, thanking them for supporting abstinence-centered education.
Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK) : 202-225-2701
Rep. Jim Marshall (D-GA) : 202-225-6531
Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC) : 202-225-2731
Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) : 202-225-5701

To view letter, click here:

http://gallery.mailchimp.com/e71e76ba0a0760415775e4352/files/FY11_Abstinence_Education_Letter.pdf

Support More Funding for Evidence-Based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs

We need your help to make sure that programs that help prevent teen and unplanned pregnancy are adequately funded next year!

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees are poised to take action on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (aka “Labor-H) bill this week. Let them know that funding for teen and unplanned pregnancy prevention are a priority TODAY.

 http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/policymakers/tell_congress.aspx

“Our goal is for all Americans to live healthier, more prosperous, and more productive lives.”

–Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary DHHS