PLANNED PARENTHOOD MARKS WORLD AIDS DAY
December 01, 2008 9:49:00
STRESSES NEED FOR PREVENTION AND REAL SEX EDUCATION
Urges Congress to Stop Funding Failed Abstinence-Only Programs
December 1, 2008 — As the international community marks World AIDS Day on December 1, 2008, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (PPMNS) calls for renewed attention to the importance of testing and prevention to stop the spread of sexually transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS, and for an end to federal funding for abstinence-only programs that fail to work by denying teenagers the lifesaving information they need to stay healthy and safe..
“Today, we reflect on the wide-reaching impact of HIV/AIDS and call upon elected officials to face these challenges with commonsense solutions to protect women, men and teens around the world,” said PPMNS President and CEO Sarah Stoesz. “Through a real investment in education and testing, we can begin to effectively prevent the spread of this disease.”
As one of the nation’s leading reproductive health care providers, Planned Parenthood knows firsthand the power of education and testing in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections. In the last decade, more than $1.5 billion in federal and state funding has been wasted on dangerous abstinence-only programs that deny teenagers lifesaving information.
A recent study by the Guttmacher Institute found that most federally funded abstinence-only programs do not help delay teens’ sexually activity. Rather, the study found that comprehensive sex education programs had a positive impact on teen sexuality and should be more widely used.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 1.1 million people were estimated to be living with HIV disease in the United States. Among communities of color, the CDC reports HIV/AIDS takes a disproportionate toll. AIDS diagnoses for African-American women are nearly 23 times the rate for white women. In addition, while Hispanics comprise nearly 15 percent of the population they represent 17 percent of people living with HIV.
For more information on the HIV/AIDS testing and treatment programs at a Planned Parenthood near you, log onto our website: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/.
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