January 31, 2007
Media Stories
Abstinence Education Is Both Complex, Rewarding
The Kennebec (ME) Journal/Morning Sentinel, January 23, 2007
Abstinence Program Holds Mock Session
The Baton Rouge (LA) Advocate, January 21, 2007
Are Women Giving up on Marriage?
The Boston Globe, January 21, 2007
Sex Ed Laws Could Change
The Everett (WA) Herald, January 21, 2007
Groups Back HPV Vaccine for Girls
The Washington Times, January 20, 2007
Safe Sex? Getting Intimate in the Classroom
The Calvin College Chimes, January 19, 2007
Some Say It's OK for Girls To Go Wild
ABCNews.com, January 17, 2007
Why Sex Makes Us Feel Grown Up
Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, January 19, 2007
No Sex, Thanks
The Chicago (IL) Sun-Times, January 17, 2007
The Waiting Game: With Patience and Self-Confidence, Students Overcome the 'American Pie' Culture
The Northeastern University News, January 17, 2007
Should Trump Give Miss New Jersey a Second Chance, Too?
Yahoo! News, January 16, 2007
Montgomery County, MD, Board of Education Approves New Sex Education Curriculum, Including Condom Demonstration Video
Medical News Today, January 10, 2007
Why Wouldn't New Jersey Want To Teach Abstinence?
Press of Atlantic City, January 8, 2007
Teacher Urges Her Students To Practice Abstinence
The North Jersey Herald, January 6, 2007
Should Government Money Be Spent on Abstinence-Only Programs?
The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, January 4, 2007
Funding Opportunities
Young Women’s Christian Organization Fund – Louisiana
The Fund seeks to improve the lives of women and girls in the greater Baton Rouge area through small grants (up to $5,000).
Deadline for applications: February 1, 2007
General Grants Program – Robins Foundation
The Robins Foundation provides grants to organizations serving the Richmond, Virginia, metropolitan area. The foundation looks for programs that have a lasting impact on the lives of participants and the community.
Deadline for preliminary applications: February 1, 2007
Health, Education and Inner-City Services Grants – Teammates for Kids Foundation
The organization is soliciting funding applications for programs that help children in the areas of health, education and inner-city services. Funding priorities for health programs include the promotion of healthy lifestyles.
Deadline for applications: February 1, 2007
Faiths Partnership Grant Program – Silicon Valley Community Foundation
The Foundation offers small ($500 to $5,000) grants to increase the capacity of faith-based organizations and congregations that serve Northern California communities.
Deadline for applications: March 2, 2007
Recent Research
Sexual Health in Adolescents – January 2007
The author of this editorial (British Medical Journal, Volume 334:103-104) points to recent studies demonstrating the lack of evidence supporting the effectiveness of school-based sex education programs. He stresses the importance of delaying first sex and cites the effectiveness of various abstinence education programs. He also addresses the importance of the parent-child relationship in helping adolescents delay sexual activity, and considers sociocultural factors influencing teen sexual behavior.
The Oklahoma Marriage Initiative: An Overview of the Longest-Running Statewide Marriage Initiative in the U.S. (December 2006)
The authors of this report examine the success of the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative (OMI), a public-private collaboration that began in 1999. OMI is longest operating marriage program in the United States, and the only statewide marriage initiative.
Psychiatric Disorders and Risky Sexual Behavior in Young Adulthood: Cross Sectional Study in Birth Cohort (July 2000)
The authors of this article, published in the British Medical Journal (Volume 321:263-266), studied the association between early sexual activity and psychiatric disorders among youth in New Zealand. They found that adolescents with depression, anxiety, substance dependence, schizophrenia, and antisocial behavior were more likely to report early sexual experience, sexually transmitted diseases, and risky sexual behaviors.
Upcoming Events
Making Love Last: Finding Meaning in Sex and Romantic Relationships
A Conference of the Princeton University Anscombe Society
February 16-27, 2007
Princeton, NJ
Contact: The Anscombe Society at anscombe@princeton.edu
Note: This conference is open to students at any college or university.
Abstinence Education Evaluation Conference
“Strengthening Programs Through Scientific Evaluation”
March 19-20, 2007
Baltimore, MD – Renaissance Harborplace Hotel
Deadline for conference registration is March 1, 2007
Deadline for hotel registration is February 16, 2007
Abstinence Education Grantees Regional Training
CBAE Grantees and State Title V Coordinators in Regions 1 through 4
April 24-25, 2007
Boston, MA – The Omni Parker House
Registration will open in February 2007
Contact: Frank Bazela at abstinence@pal-tech.com
Note: Each grantee is invited to send one person; participation is limited to the first 50 people who register.
Abstinence Education Grantees Regional Training
CBAE Grantees and State Title V Coordinators in Regions 8 through 10
May 24-25, 2007
San Francisco, CA – The Hilton Fisherman’s Wharf
Registration will open in March 2007
Contact: Frank Bazela at abstinence@pal-tech.com
Note: Each grantee is invited to send one person; participation is limited to the first 50 people who register.
Abstinence Education Grantees Regional Training
CBAE Grantees and State Title V Coordinators in Regions 5 through 7
June 28-29, 2007
Chicago, IL – Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro
Registration will open in April 2007
Contact: Frank Bazela at abstinence@pal-tech.com
Note: Each grantee is invited to send one person; participation is limited to the first 50 people who register.
Other News/Misc.
American College of Pediatrics States Position on HPV Vaccine – January 2007
In this statement, the American College of Pediatrics (ACP) addresses the recent push to make the HPV vaccination a requirement of school attendance. ACP expresses its opposition to such legislation. Further, while it addresses instances in which the vaccine may be considered, ACP concludes by stating that physicians should discuss with their adolescent patients the fact that abstinence is the only way to eliminate the risks of sexual activity.
The Neglected Heart
The author of this 15-page article considers 10 specific emotional consequences of premarital sexual activity, particularly among adolescents. He concludes by setting forth 10 rewards of waiting to become sexually active. (This article is an adapted and updated version of a 1994 article of the same name.)
Focus on Staff
 CLAIRE HAVEN is a management and program analyst at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). She received her bachelor of arts in government from Patrick Henry College in 2002 and began working at ACF soon after. During her first 2 years at ACF, she worked in the Office of the Executive Secretariat as an editor and correspondence specialist, as well as taking on occasional special projects in the Office of the Assistant Secretary. In September 2004, she transferred to the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), where she has taken on an evolving role as correspondence manager, writer, and editor for various projects, assistant to FYSB senior staff, and, most recently, a member of the Division of Abstinence Education. Claire is married to another ACF employee, and they reside in Reston, Virginia.
Quote for the Day
"The most medically safe sexual conduct for adolescents is abstinence until marriage, and they should be counseled accordingly."
(American College of Pediatrics, statement issued on January 12, 2007) |
