Thank Governor Napolitano for acting to ensure that Arizona teens get the information they need to make healthy and responsible life decisions!

Governor Napolitano took a stand for Arizona teens by rejecting Title V federal abstinence-only-until-marriage dollars. Title V programs prohibit teachers from providing teens with vital sexual health information, and instead provide medically inaccurate data, promote gender stereotypes, discriminate against gays and lesbians, and sometimes include religious messages.

Rejecting Title V dollars was an important first step to ensuring our teens have the information they need to make healthy and responsible life decisions, but there’s more to do: Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are still in our schools, and this is bad news for teens.

Young people need and deserve accurate and complete information about sex. Thank Governor Napolitano for standing up for our teens, and urge her to work toward removing all abstinence-only-until-marriage programs from our public schools.

Please personalize your letter.

Dear Governor Janet Napolitano:

Thank you for taking a stand to ensure that Arizona teens have the information they need to make healthy and responsible life decisions. As you know, the federal funding you rejected supported abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that provide medically inaccurate information, promote gender stereotypes, discriminate against gays and lesbians, and sometimes include religious messages. Moreover, these programs have been proven ineffective.

Unfortunately, there are still abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in our schools. We need to be sure that all Arizona teens are prepared to lead healthy and productive lives.

There is ample evidence that sex education that teaches both about abstinence and about effective use of contraceptives has a significant and beneficial impact on teens’ health. Moreover, researchers attribute the recent decline in teen pregnancy rates overwhelmingly to increased contraceptive use, not abstinence.

Please call on schools throughout our state to follow your lead and remove any abstinence-only-until-marriage programs from our schools and instead provide teens with the complete and accurate information they need to lead healthy and productive lives.

I look forward to hearing from you on this important issue.

Sincerely,