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New York, NY - On November 17 at a White House press briefing, Press Secretary Scott McClellan asserted that Secretary of Education nominee Margaret Spelling supported abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that prohibit the discussion of condoms and contraceptive use. McClellan also stated that the "President is an advocate of abstinence education because he wants to focus on what works."

"Mr. McClellan's contention that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs have been proven effective is patently false," said William Smith, Vice President for Public Policy at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS). "No sound study exists that shows that these programs have any long-term beneficial impact on young people's sexual behavior," Smith continued. "The fact the President's nominee for the Nation's top teacher supports these programs is particularly disturbing," Smith said.

Mr. McClellan also misrepresented the funding for sexuality education programs by asserting that the federal government funded a more comprehensive approach. Specifically, Mr. McClellan said that "…we have said funding for abstinence education at least ought to be on equal footing with other education programs. And so that is what we've pursued in this Administration."

"The Bush Administration has not allocated a single dollar to comprehensive sexuality education programs," said Smith. "It seems that Mr. McClellan needs to misrepresent the Administration's policy stance in this area because even they understand that Americans broadly support programs that are medically accurate and comprehensive," Smith continued.

Since 1998, the federal government has invested nearly $620 million in unproven abstinence-only-until marriage programs that discourage the use of condoms and other contraceptive methods that prevent pregnancy and the spread of STDs, including HIV. Many of these programs are riddled with fear, shame, gender stereotypes, and medical misinformation that put young people at risk. Furthermore, research has shown that young people who take the virginity pledges, an integral part of many abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, are 30% less likely to use contraception when they do become sexually active than their peers that have not pledged. That same body of research has also shown that pledgers have equal rates of STDs as young people who do not pledge.

In contrast, numerous studies and evaluations published in peer-reviewed literature suggest that comprehensive education about sexuality, programs that teach teens about both abstinence and contraception/disease prevention, are an effective strategy to help young people delay their initiation of sexual intercourse and increase contraceptive use when they become sexually active.

"Denying our young people accurate information about sexual health will not prevent unintended pregnancies or the spread of STDs. It will, however, prevent them from making responsible and informed decisions about their health and their futures," Smith said. "By supporting these programs, President Bush and his nominee for Secretary of Education are turning a blind eye to the health needs of our young people and allowing ideology and politics to triumph over science," Smith continued.

For more information on unproven abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, please visit: http://www.siecus.org or http://www.nonewmoney.org.

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