New right-wing "holiday": Abstinence Day?

Now that control of Congress is back in pro-choice hands, we have the first chance in more than six years to turn the tide on deceptive "abstinence-only" programs.

Since President Bush took office, Congress has spent a whopping 778 million of your tax dollars on ineffective abstinence-only programs!

While Congress has been on a spending spree, studies show that many abstinence-only programs include medically inaccurate and misleading information. Even worse, independent research shows that students in these classes are not more likely to abstain from sex or delay when they become sexually active.

Tell your members of Congress today that Americans oppose ineffective, ideologically-driven abstinence-only programs.

NARAL is working closely with key members of Congress to turn the tide on abstinence-only funding, but right-wing groups won't let this happen without a fight.

Groups like the Family Research Council are holding "Abstinence Day" on Capitol Hill tomorrow, where they will try to overwhelm lawmakers with one-on-one lobby visits and flood phone lines with calls from anti-choice activists.

Instead of recklessly spending your tax dollars on programs that don't work, Congress should focus on commonsense solutions to prevent teen pregnancy. Several bills would do just that, including these two measures:

• The Responsible Education About Life Act would establish the first-ever federal sex-education program for young people; and
  The Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Responsibility, and Opportunity Act would help schools set up programs that encourage teens to delay sexual activity and help parents communicate with their children about sex.