The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), seemingly bent on eliminating religion, tradition and values from the public square, recently announced its new enemy: abstinence-only education.

Declaring abstinence programs “dangerous,” the ACLU launched its “Not in My State” program to eliminate abstinence curricula from school districts in 18 states. 

Citing a widely discredited December 2004 report by Rep. Harry Waxman (D-California), the ACLU asserts that abstinence programs discriminate against homosexuals, threaten the health and safety of kids and are excessively connected with religious ideology.

So-called ACLU “experts” have firmly closed their minds to the overwhelming evidence that shows the effectiveness of abstinence education. 

CWA’s Director of Government Relations, Lanier Swann, has lobbied on Capitol Hill for abstinence funding: “I urge school officials not to let the ACLU keep them from doing what’s best for the children. Ask parents what they think,” she says, “and remember, the ACLU does not speak for America,  and it certainly doesn’t speak for all parents. In a recent Zogby poll, 90 percent of parents said they support abstinence education for their children, and local school systems would do well to heed their call.”

A recent report by the Heritage Foundation found that sexually active teens are much more likely to be depressed, commit suicide and contract sexually transmitted diseases.  Young girls who are sexually active are highly likely to become pregnant out of wedlock, have an abortion, become single mothers and end up poor.  The report also found that girls who became sexually active between the ages of 13 and 14 were half as likely as those who did not have sex to be involved in stable marriages in their 30’s.

A strong example of the impact of abstinence-only programs is Best Friends, which utilizes peer support.  A Lerner study showed that girls who participated in Best Friends were 52 percent less likely to smoke, 90 percent less likely to use drugs, 60 percent less likely to drink alcohol and 80 percent less likely to have sex than their peers who did not participate in the program.

An Adolescent and Family Health study in 2003 found that a 67 percent drop in teen pregnancy among 15- to 19-year-olds resulted from the decline in sexual activity. 

Not only have abstinence education programs proven effective and beneficial, they have done so with limited funding.  President Bush, a great supporter of abstinence funding, called for $250 million for it in 2005, but Congress approved only $168 million; $653 million will be spent on condom-based education.

Clearly, the ACLU overlooks or ignores this information.

“The way the liberal left flails about in their efforts to destroy abstinence education would cause one to think abstinence educators are literally swimming in funding,” says CWA’s Swann. “It is a shame we are now distracted by fighting to protect what little funding we have rather than aiming all our efforts at bringing abstinence to a more level playing field with the other side.”

The bottom line is that illicit sex permeates our culture and poses real dangers for teens. No one can deny that these young people face emotional, physical, economical and relational challenges.  If young people hold the future, they should be allowed to make informed decisions about how sex will impact their futures. We must not let the ACLU take that away from them. 

With the futures of so many children on the line, the stakes are too high to let another ACLU victory further destroy our next generation.   

Take action:   CWA urges parents in the following states to call or write your local school boards. These states are targeted by the ACLU’s campaign against abstinence.  It is vital that the voices of concerned parents be heard above the ACLU’s attempts to strip abstinence funding.  Contact your local school board today!

States Targeted by the ACLU’s Campaign to Reject Funding for Abstinence Education: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Wyoming.