ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH

Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act Press Conference

Youth Statements
February 10, 2005

1. Emily, High School Senior, Cherry Hill, NJ
2. Kiera, High School Freshman, Fort Washington, MD
3. Megan, College Junior, Washington, DC, Originally from Flemington, NJ
4. Philip, High School Sophomore, Gaithersburg, MD
5. Rachel, High School Senior, Cherry Hill, NJ
6. Sarah, College Junior, Washington, DC, Originally from Bakersfield, CA

Emily, High School Senior, Cherry Hill, NJ

Good morning. My name is Emily. I am a senior in high school in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. I enjoy listening to music, playing tennis, and volunteering at a local animal shelter in my free time. One thing that I am certainly looking forward to is beginning college in the fall! I plan to attend Penn State University, majoring in either business or education.

I am here this morning to offer my support regarding the Responsible Education About Life, or REAL, Act. As a high school senior, I have had four years of family life education in health class. I can surely say that these four years have not been a waste of time.

Family life education may not sway teenagers' decisions to have sex, but it surely makes them think about the consequences and moral implications involved. Especially in this day and age, teenagers must be exposed to family life information. Students may not learn about abstinence and safer sex at home, so it is crucial to include it in any school curriculum.

My friends and I all think about college, careers, and, eventually, families. But without the type of information we receive in family life education classes, those visions about our future may not become reality.

This is why I ask you to support the REAL Act—ensuring that young people of the future will have the opportunity to make safe, responsible decisions about their sexual health.

back to top

Kiera, High School Freshman, Fort Washington, MD

Good morning everyone. My name is Kiera. I'm a 14-year-old from Fort Washington, MD. I'm here today because I am interested in helping girls my age learn about ways to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. I see many girls my age becoming pregnant and they don't know what to do. I want to help youth learn how to delay having sex and how to use protection when they do have sex. I am a peer educator with Advocates for Youth's MySistahs, a Web site created by and for young women of color to provide information and offer support on sexual and reproductive health issues. I want young people my age to see that their peers know this information and are willing to teach it to them. If I could do that, I'll be so happy.

Because my mother works in the field of reproductive health education, I have been more fortunate than other young people my age. I can ask a question and know that I will get a straightforward answer. But others may not have that chance.

We all know the statistics—4 million cases of sexually transmitted disease, 900,000 pregnancies—all among young people under the age of 20. But I know some of the young people behind these numbers. Young women who get pregnant and drop out of high school, young people who become parents before they are ready, teens who get an STD and don't know how they got it or where they got it from, teens who have oral sex thinking they can't catch an STD because they aren't having intercourse. And yet the only programs being funded now teach only about staying abstinent.

This is why we need sex education that provides information about both abstinence and contraception. Comprehensive sex education teaches, not just how to use a condom, but also about making decisions, setting goals, managing pressure and stress, building relationships and friendships, and understanding who we are.

Many teens have no knowledge whatsoever about the consequences of having sex or the risk at which they put themselves and their partner by having unprotected sex. With comprehensive sex education, they will learn about abstinence, but also about contraception, what to do after having unprotected sex, testing for STDs, preventing pregnancy and diseases like HIV/AIDS. With responsible sex education, teens can learn all of this, and then make more informed decisions. But without funding, they won't get the chance.

We are a generation filled with the next presidents, lawyers, Supreme Court justices, and doctors. We need sex education to fulfill our dreams. Don't keep that from us.

back to top

Megan, College Junior, Washington, DC, Originally from Flemington, NJ

Good morning. My name is Megan, and I'm a 20-year-old junior at George Washington University's Elliot School of International Affairs, here in Washington, DC. However, I grew up in Flemington, New Jersey and still consider that my home.

At school I work with the Student Global AIDS Campaign, and through this work I've learned the important role good sex education plays in stopping the spread of HIV.

Young adults and teens in this country are engaging in sex and they deserve to be provided with choices and information on how to protect themselves. Although my sex education curriculum stressed abstinence, it also recognized that this is not the path for all students. It was thorough in discussing options for protection, for a woman and a man. This type of education should not be considered exceptional, it should be the standard for all young people.

Young people's lives can be quickly altered or shattered if they are provided with wrong information, or no information at all. We have a right to the information that can protect our health.

back to top

Philip, High School Sophomore, Gaithersburg, MD

Hello. My name is Philip and I, along with my mom, dad, and older brother, are members of the Unitarian Universalist church. I am currently in the 10th grade, play and referee soccer games, and hope to have a career in law enforcement.

As a Unitarian Universalist, one of the core principle's of my faith is "worth and dignity for all people." I've been taught not to view sexuality as an evil but, instead, as a part of who we are. I've been taught that we need to be very respectful of each other in our relationships; that we don't have to have sex to be loved by a partner. I've been taught that sexuality provides the chance to express deeper feelings towards another person.

Much of this I learned while taking classes in the Our Whole Lives program—or OWL—the comprehensive sex education course taught in my church. This is the type of program that the REAL Act would provide for: A program that gives young people like me information that helps us make responsible decisions about our sexuality—decisions which are healthy for us now and in the future; a program that helps us to think through our decisions about sexuality and how these decisions will affect us for years to come; a program that gives us all the information we need to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease; and, most importantly, a program that helps open up the lines of communication with our parents.

OWL gives students guidance in thinking about what we want out of life and allows us to see the whole picture. In school, they only teach abstinence. While I know that abstinence is the best way to prevent STDs and pregnancy, I also believe that it is unrealistic. Even kids who want to remain abstinent may have difficulties controlling sexual urges. OWL teaches us how to have safe, responsible sexual experiences. So, even if something happens, we can prevent pregnancy and disease.

More information up front reduces the stress of having to ask the awkward but specific questions that really need to be answered for a particular individual. Instead, a young person may not ever ask the questions and then will not have the information needed to stay healthy, physically and emotionally.

Another important reason to have comprehensive sex education is that it's inclusive of everyone—even GLBTQ people. Young gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning kids face a harsh environment in schools. They are often picked on or called names. They suffer more from depression and anxiety, and are victims of violence more frequently. Good sex education includes the truth about these issues so that these students aren't subjected to this cruelty.

I can make informed decisions that are right for me at the right time, that will enrich my life and the lives of people that I care about, thanks in part to what I learned in my OWL comprehensive sex education program. Please let other kids have the same chance.

back to top

Rachel, High School Senior, Cherry Hill, NJ

Hello. My name is Rachel and I am a senior in high school in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. I am 51st out of 413 students in my graduating class and will continue my academic career. Along with being active in community service, I am also passionate about sports. I've been swimming since I was six years old and am the co-captain of the lacrosse and soccer teams.

In my high school, health classes cover many topics—drug education, grief counseling, nutrition, and driver's ed are just a few. All of these topics are crucial lessons that middle school or high school students need to be taught.

I'm one of the lucky ones who also had sex education in high school. I'm here to say that this might be the most crucial lesson of all for young people.

It's amazing to sit in a classroom and hear some of the questions my peers ask about sex: Can I become pregnant the first time I have sex? Can I get an STD from touching or hugging? I also know kids who think that they don't have to worry about anything, because getting pregnant or getting an STD can't possibly happen to them.

We ask questions that need to be answered; issues that need to be clarified. For many young people, these are questions that won't be answered anywhere else except in sex education classes.

It doesn't matter whether sex education is taught, the majority of young people will have sex before they get married, and because of that, students need to be informed not only of the risks they may face, but the precautionary procedures they can take to make sure they are as safe as possible.

Abstinence needs to be taught, and should be stressed as the only sure way to keep from getting pregnant or getting an STD. But I also believe that we can't just ignore the rest of the information. Young people can't be kept in the dark. If anything, that will lead to more experimentation and risky behavior.

Sex education is just as important as nutrition, drug education, and driver's ed. The only way to keep us safe is by teaching us the importance of abstinence and equipping us with the information we need to be safe.

back to top

Sarah, College Junior, Washington, DC, Originally from Bakersfield, CA

Good morning. My name is Sarah, and even though I'm currently studying at Georgetown University here in Washington, DC, my home and my roots are in California's Central Valley. Bakersfield, California, where I grew up, is mostly known for its agriculture and country music.

But I am here to address what is commonly referred to as "The Central Valley's Dirty Little Secret"—ignored by everyone, even those of us who live there.

I'm talking about the high rates of teen births. While most high schools across the country have tennis courts and football fields, at one point my county had six high schools with day care centers. These were not for the children of teachers or administrators at the schools. These day care centers were for the children of my peers who attended the schools.

My sex education class lasted one semester and was taught by the junior varsity football coach. He was a really nice guy who was forced to provide a very awkward lecture about sex.

A high school education is supposed to prepare us for our adult lives, but right now, in too many districts and states across the country, my generation is denied access to one of the most important forms of education—a comprehensive sex education that will empower young people to make responsible, well-informed decisions about our lives.

This is why the REAL Act is so important. No longer should my peers have to sit through the awkward lecture from the football coach. No longer should young people—regardless of race, ethnicity, class, gender—be left without the information we need to protect ourselves. No longer should schools be forced to choose between educating their students about life and what federal funding forces them to teach.

My friends in Bakersfield aren't any different than youth in Texas, Minnesota, or Maine. We need all the information available to protect our sexual health. It's our job to act on this information in a responsible manner, but we need you to share this responsibility: Supporting comprehensive sex education programs like those the REAL Act would fund will help ensure that young people have access to the information they need to make responsible choices.