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NEBRASKA
Nebraska received $1,256,681 in federal funds for
abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in Fiscal Year 2006.
Nebraska Sexuality Education Law and Policy
Nebraska law does not require sexuality education; indeed, it explicitly states that this is a matter of local control. Nebraska does not limit or prescribe what can be taught in such classes nor does it recommend a specific curriculum. However, in its Nebraska Health Education Frameworks, the Nebraska State Board of Education does support “an abstinence approach to risk behaviors associated with…sexual activity.” The State Board of Education also adopted specific abstinence guidelines to be used in any school unit involving family life or sexuality education. The guidelines include teaching that “abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage is the expected standard for all school-age children,” and “a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the expected standard of human sexual activity.” The guidelines also note that the best way to develop family life or sexuality education units is for parents, school boards, and teachers to work together with schools, districts, and communities “so all have a voice in the process and content.”
Nebraska does not require parental permission for students to participate in sexuality or HIV/AIDS education nor does it say whether parents or guardians may remove their children from such classes.
See the Nebraska Revised Statutes Chapter 79, and Nebraska Health Education Frameworks.
Recent Legislation
SIECUS is not aware of any proposed legislation regarding sexuality education in Nebraska.
Events of Note
SIECUS is not aware of any recent events regarding sexuality education in Nebraska.
Nebraska’s Youth: Statistical Information of Note2
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In 2005, 41% of female high school students and 41% of male high school students in Nebraska reported ever having had sexual intercourse compared to 46% of female high school students and 48% of male high school students nationwide.
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In 2005, 3% of female high school students and 6% of male high school students in Nebraska reported having had sexual intercourse before age 13 compared to 4% of female high school students and 9% of male high school students nationwide.
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In 2005, 12% of female high school students and 12% of male high school students in Nebraska reported having had four or more lifetime sexual partners compared to 12% of female high school students and 17% of male high school students nationwide.
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In 2005, 30% of female high school students and 30% of male high school students in Nebraska reported being currently sexually active (defined as having had sexual intercourse in the three months prior to the survey) compared to 35% of female high school students and 33% of male high school students nationwide.
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In 2005, among those high school students who reported being currently sexually active, 56% of females and 67% of males in Nebraska reported having used condoms the last time they had sexual intercourse compared to 56% of females and 70% of males nationwide.
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In 2005, among those high school students who reported being currently sexually active, 25% of females and 19% of males in Nebraska reported having used birth control pills the last time they had sexual intercourse compared to 21% of females and 15% of males nationwide.
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In 2005, among those high school students who reported being currently sexually active, 23% of females and 26% of males in Nebraska reported having used alcohol or drugs the last time they had sexual intercourse compared to 19% of females and 28% of males nationwide.
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In 2005, 85% of high school students in Nebraska reported having been taught about AIDS/HIV in school compared to 88% of high school students nationwide.
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In 2000, Nebraska’s abortion rate was 12 per 1,000 women ages 15–19 compared to a teen abortion rate of 24 per 1,000 nationwide.3
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In 2004, Nebraska’s birth rate was 36 per 1,000 women ages 15–19 compared to a teen birth rate of 41 per 1,000 nationwide.4
Title V Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funding
Nebraska received $218,740 in federal Title V funding in Fiscal Year 2006. The Nebraska Abstinence Education Program (NAEP) had no sub-grantees operating during Fiscal Year 2006. (The Fiscal Year 2005 sub-grantees stopped operating on September 30, 2005.) A new request for proposals was issued by the NAEP in July 2006 and nine sub-grantees were selected from among the applicants. These new sub-grantees began operating with Fiscal Year 2006 funding during the first part of Fiscal Year 2007. The Nebraska Department of Health oversees the funding.
The Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage grant requires states to provide three state-raised dollars or the equivalent in services for every four federal dollars received. The state match may be provided in part or in full by local groups. Nebraska requires its sub-grantees to provide the match, and sub-grantees operating with Nebraska’s Fiscal Year 2006 Title V funds will make up that match.
Nebraska’s Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage funding is normally divided between sub-grantees and a media campaign. Those activities were suspended for the Fiscal Year 2006 but will continue in Fiscal Year 2007.
Title V Evaluation
Nebraska completed an evaluation of its Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage program in 2002. This review involved pre- and post-test surveys administered to two groups, one of which participated in the abstinence-only programs and the other received only the regular health and sexuality curricula. The results revealed that “abstinence-only education did not significantly change young adolescents’ values and attitudes about premarital sexual activity, nor did it significantly change their intentions whether or not to engage in premarital sexual activity.”5 In addition, the authors of the evaluation found that favorable attitudes toward abstinence expressed by youth could not be attributed to the programs.6
Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) and Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA) Grantees
There are two CBAE grantees in Nebraska: City of Norfolk/Community Character Development Coalition and Omaha/Council Bluffs Metropolitan YMCA. There are no AFLA grantees in Nebraska.
The Community Character Development Coalition conducts presentations with an abstinence-only-until-marriage message for students in Northeastern Nebraska.7 In a section entitled “Did You Know,” its website asks, “If you decide to have sex will a condom protect you? My response is, ‘Protect you from what?’ A STD (sic)?…Maybe. Pregnancy?…It could. Bad Reputation?…Probably not. Ruined Dreams?…Unlikely. A Broken Heart?...Not a Chance.”8
According to Omaha/Council Bluffs Metropolitan YMCA’s website, its abstinence-only-until-marriage program teaches junior high and high school students “how to have the best sex” by waiting until marriage. The program uses the WAIT (Why Am I Tempted) Training curriculum.9 SIECUS reviewed WAIT Training and found that it contains little medical or biological information and almost no information about STDs, including HIV/AIDS. Instead, it contains information and statistics about marriage, many of which are outdated and not supported by scientific research. It also contains messages of fear and shame and biased views of gender, sexual orientation, and family type. For example, WAIT Training explains that “men sexually are like microwaves and women sexually are like crockpots….A woman is stimulated more by touch and romantic words. She is far more attracted by a man’s personality while a man is stimulated by sight. A man is usually less discriminating about those to whom he is physically attracted.”10
Federal and State Funding for Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs in FY 2006
Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Grantee
Length of Grant
|
Amount of Grant |
Type of Grant (includes Title V, CBAE, AFLA, and other funds) |
Nebraska Health and Human Services System
www.hhs.state.ne.us
|
$218,740 federal |
Title V |
City of Norfolk/ Community Character Development Coalition
2005–2008
www.ci.norfolk.ne.us/ccdc |
$438,198 |
CBAE |
Omaha/ Council Bluffs Metropolitan YMCA
2003–2006
www.metroymca.org |
$599,743 |
CBAE |
Title V Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Coordinator
Linda Henningsen
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
P.O. Box 95044
Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: (402) 471-0538 |
Nebraska Organizations that Support Comprehensive Sexuality Education
ACLU of Nebraska
941 O St., Suite 706
Lincoln, NE 68508
Phone: (402) 476-8091
www.aclunebraska.org
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Nebraska Religious Coalition for
Reproductive Choice
P.O. Box 31395
Omaha, NE 68131
Phone: (402) 320-0070 |
Planned Parenthood of Nebraska and
Council Bluffs
2246 O St.
Lincoln, NE 68510
Phone: (402) 441-3332
www.plannedparenthood.org/ppncb/ |
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Nebraska Organizations that Oppose Comprehensive Sexuality Education
Family First
610 J St., Suite 10
Lincoln, NE 68508
Phone: (402) 435-3210
www.familyfirst.org |
Nebraska Right to Life Committee
P.O. Box 80410
Lincoln, NE 68501
Phone: (402) 438-4802
www.nebraskartl.org |
Newspapers in Nebraska
Columbus Telegram
Assignment Editor
1254 27th Ave.
Columbus, NE 68601
Phone: (402) 564-2741 |
Fremont Tribune
Tammy McKeighan
News Editor
135 N. Main St.
Fremont, NE 68025
Phone: (402) 721-5000
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Grand Island Independent
Harold Reotter
Education Reporter
422 W. 1st St.
Grand Island, NE 68801
Phone: (308) 381-9458
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Hastings Tribune
Linda Garcia
Education Reporter
908 W. 2nd St.
Hastings, NE 68901
Phone: (402) 461-1251 |
Kearney Hub
Vicki Rice
Education Reporter
13 E. 22nd St.
Kearney, NE 68847
Phone: (308) 237-2152
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Lincoln Journal Star
Mark Andersen
Health & Medicine Reporter
P.O. Box 81689
Lincoln, NE 68501
Phone: (402) 473-7238 |
Norfolk Daily News
Medical/Health Editor
525 Norfolk Ave.
Norfolk, NE 68701
Phone: (402) 371-1020 |
North Platte Telegraph
John Lindenburger
Education Reporter
621 N. Chestnut St.
North Platte, NE 69101
Phone: (308) 532-6000
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Omaha World-Herald
Nichole Aksamit
Health & Medicine Reporter
1334 Dodge St.
Omaha, NE 68102
Phone: (402) 444-1304
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Omaha World-Herald
Veronica Stickney
Education Reporter
1334 Dodge St.
Omaha, NE 68102-1138
Phone: (402) 444-1040 |
Star-Herald
Maunette Loeks
Medical/Health Reporter
1405 Broadway
Scottsbluff, NE 69361
Phone: (308) 632-9054 |
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References
- This refers to the fiscal year for the federal government which begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, Fiscal Year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Unless otherwise cited, all statistical information comes from Danice K. Eaton, et al., “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2005,” Surveillance Summaries, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 55, no. SS-5 (9 June 2006): 1-108, accessed 26 January 2007, <http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm>.
- U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics: Overall Trends, Trends by Race and Ethnicity and State-by-State Information (New York: The Guttmacher Institute, February 2004), accessed 26 January 2007, <http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/2006/09/12/USTPstats.pdf>.
- National Vital Statistics Reports 55.01 (Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2006), 10, accessed 26 January 2006, <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr55/nvsr55_01.pdf>.
- L. Sather and K. Zinn, “Effects of abstinence-only education on adolescent attitudes and values concerning premarital sexual intercourse,” Family & Community Health 25 (2002): 12.
- Ibid.
- “About Us,” Community Character Development Coalition, (2006), accessed 23 January 2007, <http://www.ci.norfolk.ne.us/ccdc/about_us.htm>.
- “Did You Know,” Community Character Development Coalition, (2006), accessed 23 January 2007, <http://www.ci.norfolk.ne.us/ccdc/about_us.htm>.
- “Teen Programs,” YMCA of Greater Omaha, (2006), accessed 23 January 2007, <http://www.metroymca.org/findfile.asp?id2=213>.
- Joneen Krauth-Mackenzie, WAIT (Why Am I Tempted) Training, Second Edition (Greenwood Village, CO: WAIT Training, updated). For more information, see SIECUS’ review of WAIT Training at <http://www.communityactionkit.org/curricula_reviews.html>.
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