WASHINGTON, D.C. - At a press conference today, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) introduced the Responsible Education About Life or "REAL" Act, a bill that would authorize federal funds for states to offer comprehensive and medically accurate sexual education in their schools.

Of the 19 million cases of sexually transmitted diseases annually in the United States, almost half of them strike young people ages 15 to 24. Approximately 50 young people a day, an average of two young people every hour, are infected with HIV in the United States. The United States also has the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the industrialized world.

Despite these statistics, there are three separate federal programs that fund abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, but no federal funding currently exists specifically for comprehensive sexuality education. Currently, states can only receive funding if they agree to teach abstinence-only-until-marriage while excluding information about the health benefits of contraception to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

"Growing up isn't easy and our kids find themselves in tough situations every day. They need all the information to make smart choices and "abstinence-only" programs are not enough," Senator Frank R. Lautenberg said. "It's time to bring sex education up-to-date to reflect the real life situations facing young Americans."

"We need to get REAL about sex education. We should absolutely be teaching young people about abstinence, but we shouldn't be holding back information that can save lives and prevent unwanted pregnancies. Instead of 'abstinence only,' what we're proposing is 'abstinence-plus,'" said Lee.

"As our kids are learning about their health, and how their behavior effects it, it's important they have all the facts," Shays said. "The extraordinary number of teen pregnancies and growing rate of STD transmission among teens underscores the necessity of comprehensive sexual education. They need to be taught about both abstinence and contraception."

Representatives from the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), Advocates For Youth, NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood Federation of America also spoke at today's event to support the REAL Act.

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