As a taxpaying citizen of Alexandria, VA, a former educator, and a person who values our young people and wants them to have the best options available, I am outraged that the public school system in Alexandria is funding a local “teen health center,” with a primary focus on family planning. Moreover, I strongly disagree with the planned move of the center from its current location in a trailer outside a nearby shopping center, directly into T.C. Williams High School so that center workers will have unlimited access to students.

Not only do I not want my hard-earned tax dollars supporting this endeavor, but more importantly, I am convinced that this move undermines parental authority, is costly to our city, and most importantly does a huge disservice to young people.

The center provides services for youth aged 12-19 years old, dispenses contraception and refers for abortion without parental permission. The teen center also provides other services, interestingly, all which require parental permission, such as routine physical exams, vaccinations, treatment of minor illnesses. However the primary focus of the center is family planning, STD treatment and abortion referral.

Given that research continually supports the fact that sexual involvement at a young age is not good for adolescents, especially girls, why would T.C. Williams and Alexandria City Schools consider this a good decision for our young people’s health?

A study released less than two weeks ago again showed that abstinent teens report “better psychological well-being and higher educational attainment than those who are sexually active.”  Another recent study stated that “sexual abstinence is typically associated with better physical and psychological health among American adolescents,” including less problems with depression, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), infertility later in life, addiction to drugs and alcohol, and academic achievement. This same study indicated that girls are significantly more likely to suffer from depression when they are sexually active than adolescent boys.

Not only is teen sexual involvement bad for young people, but it is also extraordinarily costly to our economically burdened city.  In FY10, employee salaries were frozen due to the financial crisis, yet teen STI, out-of-wedlock childbearing and emotional and psychological harm are expensive social service projects for the City of Alexandria.

Additionally excluding parents from these important decisions removes the strongest support and influence in a young person’s life. While it might not always seem to be the case that young people want to talk about the birds and the bees with mom and dad, studies show that in fact teens do want to hear from their parents on these matters, and actually consider them the most influential people in their lives when it comes to sexual decision making. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a parent most influences a young person’s decision to become sexually involved.

According to this poll,

• 9 out of 10 teens (94%) think that adults should let teens know they should wait to have sex at least until they get out of high school
• Nearly 9 out of 10 (88%) teens say it would be easier to avoid early sexual activity and teen pregnancy if they were able to have more open, honest conversations about these topics with their parents

What are better options?

In early January, a rigorous study was released that compared abstinence education with contraceptive sex education. The study overwhelmingly supported abstinence education as the most effective in reducing sexual initiation among young teens, to the extent that even detractors of abstinence education admitted this fact.

Parents also strongly prefer the message of abstinence to contraceptive sex education. A recent poll showed that parents prefer abstinence education 2 to 1.

The funding of the clinic and planned move into TC Williams raise a number of questions and concerns. Why would Alexandria City Schools not offer that which is healthiest and most efficacious for young people? And why is the school system undermining the parent/child relationship, especially regarding topics as important as sexual decision-making? In a moment when we are looking to “cut the fat” out of the budget, why would we spend money on a prevention program that is not good for kids, and will ultimately cost the taxpayers more money?

I strongly encourage you to get the word out about this clinic. Here is the press release from Feb 28^th from Alexandria City Schools.

The school board is meeting on tonight, Tuesday, March 2nd.  If you would like to speak about this issue at the meeting, contact Rosemary Webb, clerk of the school board, and ask to speak at the meeting. You can contact the school board by clicking here.

• “Most Americans Against Abortion Coverage in Health Care Bill,” Nathan Black, The Christian Post
• “Church, state and gay marriage,” Editorial, The Los Angeles Times
• “Iowa conservatives still focused on gay marriage,” Mike Glover, Associated Press
• “NJ teen barred from abortion protest sues school,” Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press
• “Sex ed. vs. abstinence,” Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow
• “Pew: Faith-based initiative still popular,” Matthew Hay Brown, The Baltimore Sun
• “Abortion clinic ‘bubble’ law met by protests,” Dan Simmons, Chicago Tribune

• “Judge blocks key parts of new Arizona abortion law,” Paul Davenport, Associated Press
• “Pentagon airs criticism of ‘don’t ask’,” Bryan Bender, The Boston Globe
• “Should Government Have E-Record of Every Woman Who’s Had an Abortion?,” Terence P. Jeffrey, CNSNews.com
• “Parents’ Rights Amendment Reaches 120 Co-Sponsors,” Christian Newswire
• “Panel votes to restore abstinence education money,” Associated Press
• “Why are fewer Americans identifying with a religion?,” Wayne Slater, The Dallas Morning News
• “Worker misconduct cases rise at science foundation,” Associated Press

• “Dallas leads nation in repeat teen births, study finds,” Robert T. Garrett, Dallas Morning News (September 1, 2009)
• “A push for abstinence over abortion availability,” Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow (September 1, 2009)
• “‘Condom Olympics’ producer says abstinence not ‘right message’ for trafficked or drugged women,” Catholic News Agency (August 30, 2009)
• “Same-sex marriages begin in Vermont,” John Curran, Associated Press (September 1, 2009)
• “Ballot Initiative Requested on Same-Sex Marriage,” Tim Craig, The Washington Post (September 1, 2009)
• “Montana Supreme Court Will Take Up Case Wednesday to Allow Assisted Suicide,” Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com (September 1, 2009)
• “Iowa School District Plans to Revise Religious Liberty Policy,” Nathan Black, The Christian Post (August 28, 2009)

• “Group that opposes gay marriage now targeting Iowa,” Michael J. Crumb, Associated Press (August 27, 2009)

“The National Organization for Marriage has launched the Reclaim Iowa Project, targeting legislative races in the state in an effort to elect candidates who support putting the issue of gay marriage before voters.

“Iowa is important because the Supreme Court decision was so against the will of the people of Iowa and the Legislature and Gov. (Chet) Culver showed absolutely no backbone in giving the people the right to have their voices heard,” said Brian Brown, the organization’s executive director.”

• “NJ Catholic bishops campaign against gay marriage,” Associated Press (August 26, 2009)

“Roman Catholic bishops in New Jersey have begun a new campaign opposing same-sex marriage.

The push comes in anticipation of a possible vote on the issue by state lawmakers after the November election.”

• “Kansas abortion fight spills into Nebraska,” Associated Press (August 26, 2009)
• “Debate continues over Utah sex ed changes,” Lisa Schencker, The Salt Lake Tribune (August 26, 2009)

” Educators, students and parents continued to debate Wednesday whether youth should learn more about contraception in school, at the latest meeting exploring a proposed change to Utah’s sex education law.

Rep. Lynn Hemingway, D-Salt Lake City, presented a draft of his bill, which would require school districts to offer two tracks of sex education: one that would teach abstinence only and another where teachers would still promote abstinence but also include information on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and contraceptives. Parental permission would be required for students to take the second track.”

• “‘Condom Olympics’ at Miss Universe Pageant Blasted by Women’s Groups,” Adam Brickley, CNSNews.com (August 27, 2009)

“The Miss Universe pageant and an AIDS prevention group are under fire for staging a “Condom Olympics” for contestants just three days prior to last Sunday’s competition in the Bahamas.”

• “Christian Doctors Raise Flags Over New Pro-Suicide Bias in U.S. Law, Policy,” Aaron J. Leichman, The Christian Post (August 27, 2009)

“As physicians, we recognize the value of advance planning and counseling and appointing a personal healthcare proxy,” commented Dr. Gene Rudd, senior vice president of the 16,000-member CMA. “The VA manual goes a step further, however, subtly raising with vulnerable patients the possibility that physical impairments might make their lives, in the words of the manual, ‘not worth living.’

The 52-page manual, entitled, “Your Life, Your Choices: Planning for Future Medical Decisions,” lists scenarios such as being in a wheelchair, needing kidney dialysis, or requiring a feeding tube and then asks the patient to consider whether those situations might make his or her life “not worth living.”

• “Human Trial of Embryonic Stem Cell Research Stopped Due to Animal Problems,” Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com (August 27, 2009)

“When used in animal research, injections of embryonic stem cells formed tumors afterwards and also prompted the immune system of the intended recipients to reject the cells.

The FDA delayed the trials to review studies of the therapy, called GRNOPC1, in its use with animals.

Now, new reports indicate problems associated with the animals in Geron’s studies prompted the FDA to halt the human trials. Specifically, the animals developed cysts at the injury sites after the injections.”

• “New Hampshire Court orders Christian homeschooled girl to attend public school,” Pete Chagnon, OneNewsNow (August 26, 2009)

“A Christian homeschool girl in New Hampshire has been ordered into government-run public school for having “sincerely held” religious beliefs — and the Alliance Defense Fund is troubled by the ruling.”

• According to the New York Times, former President Bill Clinton defends end-of-life counseling that is included in the health care reform plan.
• Steven Ertelt of LifeNews.com has a great article about a CDC study that shows teen abortion rates are lower in states that accept abstinence funding.
• Cleveland is becoming a leader in adult stem cell research. Continue reading the article from The Plain Dealer.
• David French of Phi Beta Cons reported Tuesday that the EEOC went after Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina for refusing to cover oral contraceptives in its employer provided health insurance.
• Prisoners in the Rappahannock Regional Jail in Virginia will now be allowed to receive religious mail, after the ACLU sent a letter to officials demanding that these letters containing biblical passages be distributed, as The Christian Post reports.

• The Obama Administration has been fairly silent about the provisions for abortion in the health care bill. The Baptist Press has a great article about the Administration’s silence on the provisions.
• Kansas is back in the news again. This time, The Wichita Eagle reports that the Governor and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has stripped funding from a program that gives state money to groups who provide alternatives to abortion.
• This morning, I came across an interesting article by Eric Gorski of the Associated Press that discussed the conflict of young Evangelical Christians torn between premarital sex and waiting for marriage. Continue reading…
• The controversial health care bill that will be debated in Congress will provide doctors incentive to push euthanasia. Read more about this on LifeNews.com.
• The Christian Post reports that homeschoolers are scoring well above those attending public schools in reading, math, social studies, and language.
• If you haven’t already done so, read Nonie Darwish’s article in FrontPage Magazine about Islam.

• “NIH received varied responses, some poignant, on stem-cell draft,” Nancy Frazier O’Brien, Catholic News Service (July 10, 2009)

“Although many of the more than 49,000 comments received by the National Institutes of Health on their draft guidelines for embryonic stem-cell research are repetitive, some offer a poignant glimpse into the lives of Americans who don’t want to see embryos destroyed in an effort to cure diseases.

• “Clarence Thomas: The courage of his convictions,” Michael Barone, The Washington Examiner (July 12, 2009)
• “Spain liberalizing, but teen abortion hits a nerve,” Daniel Woolls, Associated Press (July 12, 2009)

“Spain’s Socialist prime minister has irked his natural enemies on the right and in the Catholic church by legalizing gay marriage and instituting fast-track divorce. Now he has hit a raw nerve even among his supporters with a proposal to let 16-year-olds get abortions without parental consent.

The debate is harsh and emotional, showing that for all the changes Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has introduced with his trailblazing social agenda since taking power in 2004, abortion remains sensitive in a country where most people call themselves Catholic, even if few churches are full on Sundays.

• “One child rule,” Alisa Harris, WORLD Magazine (July 13, 2009)

“The Chinese government’s population policy requires delayed marriages and delayed births, meaning citizens have to wait for government permission to reproduce. It also advocates “fewer births”—one child in most cases, but two if the first is a girl. The final plank—”healthier” births—covers a policy that Mosher said leads to sterilization and killing visibly disabled babies at birth.

• “House Strips Funding for Abstinence Education,” Christian News Wire (July 12, 2009)

“Federal funding for abstinence until marriage education was stripped from the budget today in the House subcommittee, led by Rep. David Obey (D-WI). The budget now goes to the full committee and to the full House of Representatives.”

• “Korean bishops reject measure that would allow euthanasia,” Catholic News Agency (July 13, 2009)

“The Bishops of South Korea have rejected a measure that would legalize euthanasia in the country. Supporters of the measure are euphemistically labeling the proposal “death with dignity.”

• “Religion and spirituality: Can faith help you heal?,” Eve Glicksman, KTNV (July 13, 2009)

“Research suggests there is a link between religion and better mental health and well-being. Some spiritual practices may reduce stress. This may also ease symptoms and help offset the harmful effects of stress on the immune, endocrine and cardiovascular systems. Some studies have shown that people of faith recover faster from depression, grief and anxiety disorders.”

• “Oak Park man has own stem cells implanted in heart,” Kim Lamb Gregory, Ventura County Star (July 13, 2009)

• “Family Says Doctors Tried to ‘Euthanize’ Stroke Victim,” Fox News (June 23, 2009)
• “Sex education goes full circle,” Cheryl Wetzstein, The Washington Times (June 23, 2009)
• “La. Senate OKs bill to allow health care refusal,” Associated Press (June 23, 2009)
• “SKorea hospital enforces ‘right to die’ ruling,” Agence France Presse (June 23, 2009)
• “Atheist group blasts ‘prayer station’ in city building,” Doug Stanglin, USA Today (June 22, 2009)
• “Worship legal if library OKs religious meeting,” Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle (June 22, 2009)
• “Can Science and Religion Co-Exist in Harmony?,” Pew Research Center (June 22, 2009)
• “Destroying life for science,” Margaret Somerville, The Ottawa Citizen (June 22, 2009)

• “Stem Cells and Torture,” Gilbert Meilaender, The Weekly Standard (June 8, 2009)
• “Child welfare 2: the welfare of an unborn child is nonsense,” BioEdge (June 6, 2009)
• “Stem cells offer hope for muscle repair,” Megan Ogilvie, The Toronto Star (June 8, 2009)
• “Year of the Bible,” Marv Knox, The Baptist Standard (June 8, 2009)
• “Evangelical Group Banned From Tulsa Housing Projects, Chapter Leader Says,” James Osbourne, Fox News (June 8, 2009)
• “Dutch euthanasia requests on the rise,” Townhall.com (June 5, 2009)
• “Campaign spurs parents to talk about sex,” United Press International (June 8, 2009)
• “UCLA Allows Student to Thank Jesus at Graduation,” Katherine T. Phan, The Christian Post (June 6, 2009)