United States Senate WASHINGTON, 0¢ 20510 January 24, 2018 ‘The Honorable Mick Mulvaney Direetor ‘The White House Office of Management & Budget 125 L7th Street NW ‘Washington, DC 20503 Dear Director Mulvaney: ‘We respectfully request tha: the Presidents Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Budget Request eliminate funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, which have been proven to be ineffective and harmful. The FY 2018 Department of Health and Human Services Budget Request included funding fortwo such primaily federal programs: $75 million for the Social Security Act Title V State Abstinence Education Grant Program and $10 million for the recently renamed Sexual Risk ‘Avoidance Education Program. Instead of funding abstinence-only programs, we urge the ‘Administration to redirect funding to programs that are grounded in evidence and provide the medically accurate and corsplete sexual health information and skills that adolescents need. Abstinence-only-until-mariage programs, asthe name suggests, standardize the false message that refraining from sex outside of marriage isthe only acceptable behavior for people ofall, ‘ages, and adolescents in particular. In pursuit of that goal, abstinence-only programs not only ‘withhold necessary and lifesaving information that allows young people to make informed decisions about their own bealth, bt they also provide medically inaccurate and incomplete Jnformation, and perpetuate stigma around sex, sexual health, and sexuality. Furthermore, research shows that abstinexee-only-until-martiage programs are ineffective at stopping or even delaying sex. Yet Congress has spent more than $2 billion in federal funds on these approaches.! ‘We must do more to meet adolescents’ health needs, Young people under the age of 25 account {or mote than one in five new HIV infections and rates are increasing among young people, particularly among young Black/African-American and Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men Half ofthe nearly 20 millon estimated new sexually transmitted infection cases each year in the USS, oceur among people ages 15 1024. And although pregnancy rates among young people ages 15 tv 19 ate lw histonc low for dhe country, 75 petcent of these pregnancies are ‘Senecio: meters limes mina ar YA Gm uss Ctl an Patan (COC US. Department hn ann Servs HS). IV anon ou 207, sen ani ‘Nehalem Ab, Vets ST. an Tee COC HS, Ryo TD inh Unie tes 2016, FS ‘Aimer CDC 3017, smog nesta a 726unintended. While many young parents ean and do thrive when equipped with tools and suppor in their communities all young people should have access to the education and resources to determine if and when they have a child In addition, in 2015, 11 persent of high school students reported being sexually assaulted by a partner and 10 pereent reported experiencing intimate parner violence within the prior year Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) high school students are more than twice as likely as their heterosexual pers 1o experience partner violence, be sexually assaulted by a partner, or be forced to have sex,’ Further, LGB students are nearly twice as likely to be bullied at school and ‘online, and more than one inten report missing school dve to safety concems. By excluding critical conversations arourd gender, consent, sexual harassment, and safety, abstinence-only programs fall short in combating sexual violence and stigma ‘Research has shown that access fo medically accurate sexual health information promotes ‘adolescent health. Public health interventions and education that includes sexual health information in addition o bstinence helps young people determine if and when to have sex and teaches them how to use contraception, including condoms.** Programs that are inclusive of LGBTQ youth and LGBT¢-related resources ultimately result in greater academic achievement ‘and overall health than non-inclusive programs.” Additionally, promoting gender equity reduces physical aggression betwean intimate partners and improves safer sex practices for youth ofall penders. Legislation has been introduced this Congress that responds tothe sex education and sexual health services needs of young people. The Real Education for Healthy Youth Act (S. 1653) and the Youth Access to Sexual Health Services Act (S. 1650) both support fact-based programs that can provide young people with the education, skills, and access to services they need to make informed, healthy decisions about their sexual health. We ask that this Administration abandon abstinence-only approaches and instead promote programs that respect both the stience and the rights of young people beginning with the FY 2019 Budget Request, Sincerely, = es ‘. 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