June 15, 2007

Media Stories

Sex-Ed Proposal OK'd for Schools
The Washington Times, June 13, 2007

Congress and the Foes of Abstinence
Lynchburg (VA) News and Advance, June 11, 2007

Sex Ed Bill Demands Abstinence Emphasis
The Columbia (MO) Missourian, June 11, 2007

Abstinence Education in State Laws
Education Week, June 11, 2007

House Subcommittee Approves Funding Increases for Abstinence Education, Family Planning Programs
Kaiser Network Daily Reports, June 8, 2007

Abstinence is Only Solution
The St. Cloud (MN) Times, June 5, 2007

State Sex Education Bill is Scaled Back
The Ashville (NC) Citizen-Times, June 4, 2007

2 Polls, Opposite Opinions on Sex Ed
The Deseret (UT) News, June 3, 2007

Psychologist Explains Teens' Risky Decision-Making Behavior
Science Daily, May 31, 1007

ACLU Seeks Investigation into Federally Funded Sexual Abstinence Program
Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy, May 22, 2007
(Note: Grantees, please refer to the Guidance for Community-Based Abstinence Education Grantees that Implement Separate Religious Programming to ensure that you are in compliance with Federal regulations)

Sex Ed: What to Say?
Fredricksburg (VA) Free Lance-Star, May 30, 2007

Local Activist Helping Teens Avoid Pregnancy
The New Orleans (LA) Times-Picayune, May 27, 2007

Funding Opportunities

The National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth maintains a listing of organizations identified as potential funding sources for abstinence education programs. The listing includes grant descriptions and contact information.

Community Services and Block Grant (CSBG) T&TA Promoting Healthy Marriages – Administration for Children and Families (Grant No. HHS-2007-ACF-OCS-ET-0043)
Grantees will create and disseminate "promising practice" technical assistance materials supporting healthy marriages among clients, particularly low-income people and families.
Deadline for applications: June 15, 2007

Two Should Know – Paso del Norte Health Foundation (El Paso, TX)
Grant recipients will implement effective and imaginative programs working to both (a) reduce poor health outcomes such as sexually transmitted diseases, unintended pregnancies and sexual abuse; and (b) promote positive emotional and social health outcomes. The Foundation has funded abstinence education programs in recent years.
Deadline for applications: June 18, 2007

Recent Research

The Roles of Abstinence and Contraception in Declining Pregnancy Rates (2007)
The authors of this one-page article in the American Journal of Public Health [Volume 97(6):969] offer a new analysis of data presented in a January 2007 article. In that original article, Santelli, et al. concluded that 23 percent of the decline in teen pregnancies from 1995 to 2002 was attributable to increased sexual abstinence. In this response, the authors use the same data to show that abstinence accounts for more than 45 percent of the decline.

Gender Differences in Associations Between Depressive Symptoms and Patterns of Substance Use and Risky Sexual Behavior Among a Nationally Representative Sample of U.S. Adolescents (2006)
The authors of this article, published in the Archives of Women's Mental Health [Volume 9(3):139-150], found that adolescent involvement in risk behaviors (drinking, smoking, and sexual intercourse) was associated with increased odds of depressive symptoms. Additionally, they found that girls engaging in low and moderate substance use and sexual activity experience more depressive symptoms than boys with similar behavior.

Upcoming Events

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
Deadline for conference registration is June 13, 2007
Deadline for hotel registration is May 29, 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.

Also coming this summer for CBAE grantees:
Technical Assistance Module on Nonprofit Staffing
Technical Assistance Conference Call on the TA Module for Nonprofit Staffing
Technical Assistance Web Cast on Reaching High Risk Populations
Look for more information about these events from Pal-Tech, Inc.

In the Spotlight

The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS), Abstinence Education Unit
In the few months since October 2006, the Mississippi Department of Human Services has delivered the positive message of abstinence to approximately 23,000 youth. Through the 15 programs funded by the Title V program, MDHS provides sequential, activity-based abstinence education built on substantial research and experience. MDHS also coordinates with CBAE grantees to prevent the duplication of services and maximize efforts throughout Mississippi. In addition to the oversight of local programs, MDHS recently launched a public service campaign involving billboards, radio messages and television spots to publicize and support the message of abstinence. The campaign included a video titled In the Heat of the Moment, which was developed with teenagers to highlight the personal difficulties of premarital sexual activity and pregnancy. In May, MDHS coordinated a rally at the state capitol to tie in with their state conference; more than 2,500 youth and adults participated in the events. A key feature of the Mississippi program, which makes it such a successful one, is that the Abstinence Education Unit has the strong support of the entire MDHS agency. Armed with this support, the division provides technical assistance and support to any school, community-based organization, and faith-based program in the state desiring to establish an abstinence education program. Another example of intra-agency support is the fact that the Mississippi Department of Education utilized the MDHS abstinence curriculum in four school districts during the 2007 spring semester, through which they made presentations to 681 adults and 858 students.

Quote for the Day

"No I'm not married. It's my purity ring, which means I've chosen to wait until marriage, so I wear it on my ring [finger]."

(Jordin Sparks, 2007 American Idol winner, on the Fox & Friends news program, May 24, 2007)