This publicationincludes an individual profilefor every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Outer Territories and is intended to serve as a resource for advocates, policymakers, and other interested parties. This seventh edition includes information from federal Fiscal Year 2009, which began on October 1, 2008 and ended on September 30, 2009. Each profileincludes the following information:

 

 

In addition to the profiles, we have included tables that show federal funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs distributed during each fiscal year and to each state during Fiscal Year 2009, as well as one that summarizes each state’s sex education laws and policies.  We hope that these tables provide a convenient way to see how your state compares to others in the programming provided to youth.

 

We encourage colleague organizations and supporters of sexuality education to use the State Profiles in advocacy efforts geared toward legislators and policymakers on the national, state, and local levels. For example, you may use your state’s profile to bring policymaker attention to federal funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs or to raise awareness of more comprehensive approaches to sex education taking place in public schools.

 

On a community level, you may use your state’s profile in advocating for the local school board to revise the district’s sex education policy or implement comprehensive sexuality education into schools. The profile can help call attention to state mandates or district policies that are not being followed. In addition, the list provided of commercially available abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula and the link to SIECUS’ curricula reviews website page can help you explain why the use of certain curricula and materials are inappropriate for students in your community.

 

SIECUS State Profiles can also be an important tool for educating the media. To this end, we have provided a list of major newspaper outlets and a list of progressive political blogs in each state. Your state’s profile can serve as the foundation for a “letter to the editor.”

 

It is our hope that each State Profile willempower individuals and organizations to expand or develop their own advocacy efforts related to comprehensive sexuality education and evidence-based prevention programs. Together, we can and must create policies that support the best programs for our young people.