Do this Wednesday!! Make the call to stop another $50 million for Abstinence-Only sex ed

This is easy!! All it takes is one phone call to let your senators know you opposed more funding for abstinence-only sex ed. Invite your friends! Have a party! Download the toolkit here.

Join the National Comprehensive Sex Education Call-In Day on October 28th!

Here's the scoop from Choice USA:

The healthcare reform debate is dominating the news right now. One thing we’re not hearing about is the Hatch Amendment, an amendment that would have a serious impact on sex education in our classrooms. Voted into the Senate Finance Committee’s version of healthcare reform 12-11, the Hatch Amendment lays out a $50 million funding plan to get failed abstinence-only programs back into our classrooms.

We need to speak up! This piece of healthcare reform will directly impact our everyday lives and its key we show our legislators we want sex education grounded in fact that teaches us what we need to know.

Abstinence-only programs don’t work. President Obama has called for the end of them in his budget and Members of Congress in the House and Senate have held firm by letting ab-only funding streams expire. Let’s make sure 12 Senators don’t successfully get bad sex education back into our classrooms!

Join Choice USA, SIECUS, SYRF, Advocates for Youth, and Catholics for Choice in our National Call-In Day on Wednesday, October 28th.

Who to call:

Call 1-888-423-5983 to reach your Senators’ office.

What to say when you call:

Hi. My name is ________________. May I please speak with the Senator’s lead aide on health? I am calling to talk about stripping the Hatch Abstinence-only Amendment from the Health Care Reform bill.

(after they transfer you to the right person in the office)

Hi. My name is ___________ and I am calling from ___________. The Senate Finance Committee recently passed the Hatch Abstinence-only Amendment to Health Care Reform– reinstating $50 million in funding for failed abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.

We need to ensure Congress only funds a comprehensive approach to sex education and does not fund ineffective abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that leave young people at risk. As a constituent of Senator _________, I urge the Senator to work to strip the Hatch Abstinence-only Amendment from the final Health Care Reform bill.

Other Talking Points to Use:

-Health Care Reform is a critically important task for this Congress and it should not be hijacked by ideologically motivated earmarks.

-The Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage program expired on June 30th and, at that time, had been refused by nearly half of the states both because of the restrictive nature of the program and the fact that overwhelming evidence has proven these programs to be ineffective and a waste of taxpayer dollars.

-The federal government’s own study of the Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage program found these programs to be completely ineffective at their stated goals.
-Moreover, study after study has shown that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs have no effect whatsoever.

-It is time for the federal government to stop wasting taxpayer dollars on these failed programs.

-I stand with the millions of Americans who support teaching both abstinence and contraception. Nationwide polls show that eight-in-ten voters want young people to receive a comprehensive approach to sex education that includes teaching about both abstinence and contraception.