BACK TO NEWS 

News

Clergy Advocate for Sex Ed in Seven Western States

March 5, 2009

Spurred by concern for the health and well-being of their communities, clergy and religious leaders have joined RCRC’s “Western States Mainstream Project” and are asking the Obama administration to support comprehensive sexuality education programs.

The faith leaders will be asking the Obama administration to fund medically accurate programs and to de-fund the ineffective, dangerous abstinence-only programs that have cost over $1.3 billion in the past decade. They’re starting community conversations about the religious foundations for supporting sexuality education and speaking to legislators on behalf of the health and well-being of young people.

With increasingly higher rates of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, they are asking communities to move beyond polarized debates over abortion and work together to improve family health and save lives.

The states in the project represent the spectrum of religious, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity in the nation. They include three with very high rates of unintended teen pregnancy (Nevada, New Mexico, and California) and four with lower-than-average rates (Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Utah). These varying rates of teen pregnancy are affected by many factors, including an extreme imbalance in reproductive health policies and services among these states.

Clergy and religious leaders participating in the project state that they have a responsibility to address critical issues such as rising teen pregnancies, rising HIV/AIDS rates, and dating violence, said Reverend Dr. Carlton W. Veazey, president and CEO of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. “RCRC’s project is encouraging clergy and religious leaders – who are our nation’s greatest untapped resource of moral education about sexuality – to step forward and speak out in support of comprehensive sexuality education.”

If you're a clergyperson or religious leader in one of these states or if you or someone you know would like information about the project, please contact us at publicpolicy@rcrc.org