Voices carry

Here are two instances that demonstrate how speaking
up can bring apparent results.

One influenced congressional decisions in the US to
appropriate more funds for abstinence education
programs, truly a significant development; the other
prompted a department store to make changes in its
clothing lines, according to the fall 2004 issue of
Justine magazine.

Read on.

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Lawmakers Hear Students' Voices Loud and Clear

WASHINGTON, DC, Jun 16, 2005 – Abstinence educators
are welcoming the news of an impending increase of
nearly $11 million for the Community-Based Abstinence
Education grant program. The program, found in the
Labor, HHS and Education appropriations bill, funds
more than 100 abstinence education programs across
the country. The increase in funds for abstinence
education programs was declared “a victory for
America’s children” by Leslee Unruh, president of
the Abstinence Clearinghouse.

"Finally, Congress is looking at the evidence and
saying, ‘this is healthy and it is working,’ and
then giving a priority to funding abstinence
education,” said Unruh. “Students who are abstaining
spent time on the hill, asking lawmakers to believe
in them and their ability to choose healthy
behaviors.”

“Tonight, the legislators made a decision to help me
and my friends to receive the best possible,
healthiest education,” commented Ashley Brooks, a
sixteen year old member of the Abstinence
Clearinghouse’s National Truth 4 Youth Council.
“With their decision to increase  abstinence
education, they supported my commitment to wait
until marriage.”

“Contraceptive sex education has been failing our
students, yet, it received nearly $2 billion each
year. What Congress is starting to realize is after
40 years in schools, contraceptive sex ed has never
been shown to prevent unmarried teen pregnancy or
STDs. Under this plan, abstinence, which the CDC has
shown is responsible for the majority of the drop in
teen pregnancy, is now going to receive a total of
$177 million in 2006. This is a far cry from parity,
but even this amount is a victory for America’s
children,” said Unruh.

“The million dollar question remains: What will
lawmakers do on the floor?" Unruh asked. "Are they
going to continue to take the evidence to heart,
stand up for the health and well-being of our young
people, and fund programs that work? If the increase
in abstinence finding is any indication, I think the
answer is yes. Unfortunately, more than a billion
dollars remain in the budget to fund ideologically
driven programs that put youth at risk by promoting
promiscuity."

"The Abstinence Clearinghouse thanks Members of the
House of Representatives who paid close attention to
the mounting research, and appropriated an increase
to responsible education about sexual integrity.
Tonight’s decision was a clear mandate to improve
the health of the next generation. Abstinence
education is the best way to do that," Unruh
concluded.

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Eleven-year-old Ella Gunderson made front-page news
when she wrote a letter to Nordstrom execs about
their lack of appropriate apparel. Since then,
Nordstrom and many other stores have stocked their
shelves with more subdued styles.

- from Justine magazine's fall 2004 issue