"Abstinence-Only" Hearing: Greatest Hits

Donna Crane is Policy Director for NARAL Pro-Choice America

On Wednesday, I had the privilege of attending the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform's first pro-choice hearing on Bush's dangerous and discredited "abstinence-only" policy.

Under the chairmanship of Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the panel examined "abstinence-only" programs and considered their failure rates against the following facts:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that one in four girls has a sexually transmitted infection.
• Ninety-five percent of Americans have sex before they get married.
• Teen-birth rates are once again on the rise, and American teen-pregnancy rates are much higher than other industrialized countries.
• Scientific evidence overwhelmingly proves that "abstinence-only" programs do not work at delaying sex, reducing the frequency of sex, or the number of partners.

Of course, as one has come to expect, President Bush and his anti-choice allies continue to ignore these scientific facts and push hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into failed and discredited "abstinence only" programs. Our teens need accurate information to stay healthy and protect themselves from unintended pregnancy and disease - and under the Bush policy, they simply aren't getting it.

I know I just bummed you out, but now it's time for the good stuff. Chairman Waxman and several other committee members - Reps. Paul Hodes (D-NH), Peter Welch (D-VT), Chris Shays (R-CT), and John Sarbanes (D-MD)) - worked hard to expose these ineffective programs... and they succeeded. I now present you with the "greatest hits" of the "abstinence-only" hearing:

• Okay, okay, some "abstinence-only" programs don't work. Want to know who admitted that one right off the bat? None other than former presidential nominee Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS)! Shocked he would actually admit that? So were we, but it only speaks to how bad these programs truly are.
• The experts agree: The programs fail teens and taxpayers alike! Noting the alarming statistics of teen-pregnancy and STD rates, freshman Rep. Hodes - one of Congress' new 26 pro-choice lawmakers - asked witnesses if they thought the federal government's "abstinence-only" policy was an effective response to our nation's adolescent reproductive-health crisis. The medial and scientific experts - including representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, and the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine - all firmly answered "NO!" Talk about a waste of taxpayer dollars - $1.5 billion of them to be exact!
• Medically accurate? Sure, in theory... Under a tough line of questioning from pro-choice freshman Rep. Welch, Sen. Brownback conceded that federally funded programs should be proven effective. He also admitted they should be medically accurate. Really, senator - you agree that taxpayer dollars shouldn't be used to "teach" our kids that you can contract HIV/AIDS through sweat and tears? Too bad you refuse to write medical accuracy into the law!
• Hypocrisy! Next up: Rep. Shays, who was quick to point out the hypocrisy of the anti-choicers. At one point, he said in disbelief, "Throughout the course of this hearing, I've asked my colleagues if they'd had pre-marital sex, and they all said yes!" I have to admit, this was one of the most entertaining moments of the hearing, made even more so when the anti-choice members sitting next to us put their heads in their hands with dismay upon hearing this revelation.
• Mr. Chairman! Rep. Sarbanes - who is also new to Congress - was another pro-choice champion at the hearing. In fact, when Chairman Waxman had to step out of the room for a few minutes, he left his gavel in the hands of Rep. Sarbanes, who continued the excellent lines of questioning! You can read a wrap-up on his questioning over at the NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland blog, C.R.A.Blog.

So there you have it: the "greatest hits" of the "abstinence-only" hearing. I hope you enjoy reading about it as much as we enjoyed watching it all unfold.

I want to reiterate that pro-choice Americans should be really proud of the pro-choice committee members that attended the hearing and asked some fabulous questions. We know we can count on them to speak up for commonsense solutions, and that is the real difference we can expect from a Congress now in pro-choice hands.

Of course, NARAL Pro-Choice America has opposed "abstinence-only" programs since their inception, and has long urged Congress to invest instead in traditional sex-education programs that teach young people about both abstinence and contraception. Be sure to click here to read the testimony, submitted by Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.