STATEMENT BY
WADE F. HORN, PH.D.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON LABOR,
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND EDUCATION
OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 16, 2004
Mr. Chairman, thank you for providing me with the opportunity to share the Administration’s vision for strengthening abstinence education programs. The President’s FY 2005 budget makes a major investment in this critical area and also seeks your support in shifting two of the Department’s key programs for addressing abstinence education to the Administration for Children and Families. I’d like to focus my time today discussing the President’s request and the benefit this approach will offer to our Nation’s youth.
Background
Teenage sexual activity and non-marital childbearing have serious consequences for teens, their families, their communities and our society. While it is true that teenage pregnancy rates are on the decline, they are still unacceptably high. Moreover, the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases among the young continues to increase. There are serious social and economic consequences of teenage sexual activity and non-marital childbearing as well. Over three-fifths of teen mothers live in poverty at the time of their child’s birth, and over four-fifths will at some point live below poverty.
It is not enough for schools and government alone to educate our nations’ young people on the risks and consequences of pre-marital sex. Parents also must be involved in this effort. Unfortunately, parents too often do not feel empowered to educate their children about sex because they believe that their children would rather learn about sex from their school or peers. Research from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy suggests that teens do, in fact, seek information and guidance from their parents. Almost 9 out of every 10 teens (88 percent) believe it would be easier for teens to postpone sexual activity and avoid teen pregnancy if they were able to have more open, honest conversations about these topics with their parents.
Strengthening Abstinence Education
The President’s FY 2005 budget contains a new initiative targeted to helping youth make responsible choices. This initiative provides for the following:
- Invest substantial new resources in abstinence education programs including Community-Based Abstinence Education and Adolescent Family Life programs;
- Development of scientifically-based standards for model abstinence education curricula;
- Review of all federal programming for youth addressing teen pregnancy prevention, family planning, STD and HIV/AIDS preventions and abstinence with the goal of implementing a coherent policy framework for all programs that recognize the primary importance of delaying onset of sexual activity among teens; and
- Launch a public education campaign to help parents teach and support abstinence with their children.
I am going to focus my testimony on ACF’s role in this new Presidential initiative. Specifically, the ACF FY 2005 budget includes significant funding for community and State abstinence education programs and improves these programs by fostering linkages with existing efforts to promote comprehensive, positive youth development. In fact, the budget request would more than double the funding for the Community-Based Abstinence Education program.
The Community-Based Abstinence Education Program provides grants to public and private entities for development and implementation of abstinence education programs for adolescents, ages 12 through 18, in communities nationwide. These programs are unique in that their entire focus is to educate young people and create an environment within communities that supports teen decisions to postpone sexual activity until marriage. Grantees include public and private entities such as community-based and faith-based organizations, hospitals, health centers, school systems and other youth services agencies. The President’s FY 2005 budget requests $186.4 million in funding for this abstinence program, $111.9 million above FY 2004 funding. This influx of funding will broaden the availability of abstinence education for adolescents and support up to 440 grants (an additional 278 grants over FY 2004 levels) to educate adolescents and parents about the risks associated with early sexual activity and provide the tools needed to help teens make responsible choices.
Erie County Pennsylvania’s Abstinence Advantage Program (AAP) offers a good example of the kinds of activities these funds will support. AAP uses nationally recognized curricula and programs with schools and organizations to direct teens toward abstinence, healthy relationships, and successful marriages and futures.
The President’s budget also supports the reauthorization of the Abstinence Education to States program created under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. This program provides $50 million each year to enable States to provide abstinence education, and at the option of the State, mentoring, counseling, and adult supervision to promote abstinence from sexual activity, with a focus on those groups that are most likely to bear children out-of-wedlock. These funds are allocated to States, who apply, according to a pro-rata method based on a ratio of the number of low-income children in each State to the total of all low-income children in all States. States are required to match every four dollars they receive of federal abstinence education funds with three non-federal dollars.
In conjunction with these requests, the President’s budget proposes to shift responsibility for these programs from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to the Administration for Children and Families. Secretary Thompson and I agree that ACF is well suited to administer these programs and the budget request provides appropriations language to support this shift.
The programs would be relocated to ACF’s Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), providing linkages to community-based and faith-based youth development programs. FYSB’s programs connect youth to caring adults, thereby empowering youth in their schools and communities. These programs are particularly effective in protecting young people not only against early sexual behavior but also from drugs, alcohol, tobacco and violence. We believe the shift in responsibility is important in providing a holistic approach to combating these problems.
Positive youth development provides youth with healthy messages about their bodies, their behaviors and their interactions; safe and structured places for teens to study, recreate, and socialize; positive adult role models as parents, mentors, coachers, or community leaders; skill development in literacy, competence, work readiness and social skills; and opportunities to serve others and build self-esteem. Youth who are involved with these types of structured activities that build competencies and self-confidence are more likely to abstain from sexual activity.
While HRSA has provided a strong focus on abstinence education, the shift to a human services agency will build on the progress made with a focus on positive youth development. At the same time, the Department will continue its scientific inquiry into what works best to further support the success of our comprehensive youth development efforts.
Conclusion
In closing, I would like to thank you for focusing on improving the lives of our young people and considering how the Federal government can help parents, schools, communities and States make a long-term difference in the lives of our nation’s youth. As Secretary Thompson said, “Three quarters of American youth are making safe sensible choices for their lives, and the remaining quarter may be at risk, but they certainly are not lost.” We need to do everything we can to reach these vulnerable young people and provide them a vehicle on the path to success. I look forward to working with your committee to make the FY 2005 budget request become a reality.
I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.
