Is that the Hallelujah Chorus I hear?

Yes, folks, we finally have a budget. Earlier this month – 101 days after it was supposed to be finished – the legislature passed a budget for the fiscal year we are already three and a half months into.

Aside from many, many agencies, schools, and organizations breathing a sigh of relief, what this also means is that the legislature can now get back to working on other things, including important bills on LGBT discrimination, capital punishment, and sex education.

A few to watch:

• House Bill 300

If you follow Speaking Freely or get email updates from us, you know that we were working hard on this bill – which would ban discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression – before the budget impasse. We’re ramping back up now that the legislature is back on track and we need YOU to help get this bill moving again!

Even if you’ve done it already, please take a moment to let your representatives in Harrisburg know that this is something that’s long past due in Pennsylvania. There’s something for you to do no matter how much spare time you have.

If you only have two minutes:
Email your representative. Please take a minute and a half of your two minutes to add a sentence or two to personalize the email – for example, you might briefly summarize the story of a loved one who this law will affect; mention that as a person of faith, you support treating all Pennsylvanians with dignity and respect; or state that as a business owner, this is important legislation for you as you work to recruit and diverse and competitive workforce.

If you have five minutes:
Give your representative’s office a call and say the same thing. You can find the number by using the ACLU’s Find Your Legislator tool. Making a call often augments your voice with lawmakers – it is louder both literally and figuratively! If you have never done this before, don’t worry. All you need to do is tell the staff member who answers your name and address, the bill number you are calling about (HB 300), that you’d like Representative X to support the bill, and why (the personal notes mentioned above or a fact or two from our talking points).

If you have fifteen minutes:
Think about business owners or religious leaders you know who may be willing to sign on as supporters of this bill. Write a brief email or take a few minutes to speak to them about the importance of this bill and let them know that they can help show the diversity of groups that support anti-discrimination legislation. Have them contact us at aclupa@aclupa.org for more information about how they can help.

If you have half an hour:
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. LTEs educate members of your community and are another way of making your voice heard with decisionmakers. You can see examples here or use our talking points for more ideas.

If you have an hour:
Visit your legislator! This is the most important way to make your voice heard with your lawmaker. Meetings can be held in-district (near your home) or in Harrisburg. Call your legislator’s office to schedule a visit. If you have never done a legislator visit before, contact aclupa@aclupa.org for help.

• Senate Bill 1110

This bill calls for a moratorium on executions while a comprehensive study of capital punishment in Pennsylvania is conducted. The study would include analyses of the death penalty’s impact on victims’ families, the potential for executing an innocent person, and the economic, geographical, and racial disparities present in the current system.

In 2007 the American Bar Association concluded that there is overwhelming evidence that the state’s death penalty system is flawed and that we are at risk of executing an innocent person. Among the problems with the death penalty are:

wrongful conviction – The most common causes of wrongful conviction are eyewitness error, government misconduct by the police and/or prosecution, mishandled evidence or the use of unqualified scientific “experts,” unreliable testimony from jailhouse snitches in exchange for a reduction in their sentences, and false confessions resulting from torture, mental illness, or mental retardation.

racial disparities – 69% of Pennsylvania’s death row inmates are racial or ethnic minorities, the second-highest death row minority rate in the country, and black defendants are more likely to be sentenced to death than white defendants, especially if the victim is white.

costs – Contrary to popular belief, it costs more to execute a prisoner than to house him or her for life. A new study released this week by the Death Penalty Information Center investigates other criminal justice needs that could use the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on capital punishment, including the need for 200 more police officers in Philadelphia.

deterrence – The science is inconclusive at best on the deterrent effect of the death penalty. Meanwhile, a national survey of police chiefs from around the country found that police chiefs do not believe the death penalty significantly reduces the number of homicides.

For more information on the death penalty, go to www.deathpenaltyinfo.org or check out our previous blogs on the subject.

• House Bills 1162 and 1163

After years of declining rates of teen pregnancies and teens contracting sexual transmitted diseases, those numbers are again on the rise. Why? Because the epic failure of abstinence-only-until-marriage education has come home to roost. Studies have shown that students who get abstinence-only sex ed don’t delay sexual activity and are less likely to use contraception than students who get comprehensive, science-based sex education.

The impact on public health is without question. Teen births cost the commonwealth more than $300 million per year.

House Bill 1163 (The Healthy Youth Act) would require all public schools that teach HIV prevention – which is all public schools in the state (although the bar for what qualifies as teaching prevention is low, e.g. “don’t have sex”) – to also teach comprehensive sex ed.

House Bill 1162 (The Notice Home Act) would require all schools that teach abstinence-only sex ed to send a notice home to parents informing them of the school’s sex ed curricula.

To learn more about this issue, visit the Pennsylvanians for Responsible Sex Education website.

Becca and Andy in Harrisburg

Abstinence-Only Education Dealt Another Blow

Finally! When Obama released his budget, cutting funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage (AOUM) education, we were ecstatic but knew that there was a long way to go. Last week, the House voted by an overwhelming majority to eliminate almost $99 million in spending for these failed programs. Yay! It’s about time to try something new—like putting $114 million of new funding into programs that actually educate teens about how to stay safe. Good start.

Opponents claim that giving money to already “well-funded” comprehensive sex ed programs is unnecessary. Perplexingly, it would only decrease the amount of money going to youth education since it doesn’t look like AOUM is coming back anytime soon (fingers crossed!). Abstinence-only supporters bemoan these changes citing “studies” like the 2006 Zogby poll which they claim found that adults approve of AOUM over comprehensive sex ed 2:1. No surprise, as the study was commissioned by the National Abstinence Education Association. Fine. But it was never meant to be a public opinion poll, according to the Guttmacher Institute. More troubling is the way abstinence education was described to respondents. Of course a majority of American adults would support a program which “promotes an age appropriate discussion of contraceptives within the context of promoting abstinence as a healthy choice” (the definition of abstinence programs provided in the survey). Um…isn’t that comprehensive sex ed? Or are we mixing up our labels?

Maybe it’s all so confusing because the abstinence movement is struggling to create a more mainstream image. Jessica Valenti discusses how the “virginity movement” (her label for abstinence proponents) is troubled by their loss of standing due to budget cuts, studies showing their programs are failing, and the new pro-comprehensive-sex-ed administration. By publicly claiming that they are moving away from their “abstinence only and absolutely never mention contraception no matter what” approach they probably hope to garner more support. But, if teaching about STIs involves projecting gruesome images of syphilis infections on a big screen (newsflash: the rate of syphilis among teen girls increased by almost half during the abstinence-loving previous administration) and teaching about contraceptives means claiming that condoms fail more often than they work, we should all be wary.

But enough with depressing old news…in with the new! The House has taken a great step in the right direction towards the health of America’s youth. Next stop, the Senate. And then, hopefully, our schools!

Ruth and Dina in Philadelphia

Is Specter Dumping Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs?

The ACLU’s Clara Bell Duvall Project has long been battling the tidal wave of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in public schools. Until very recently, the federal government had been battling right back by funding them. These programs have been proven to misinform students about the realities of sexuality and sexual health, often using religion instead of science and discriminating against LGBT youth.

Here in PA, our very own Sen. Arlen Specter has been a master at securing earmarks for these disastrous programs. In 2003, Specter was the first (later becoming the only) senator to earmark funding for AOUM as state after state slashed funding. In fact, from 2005-2009, Specter earmarked nearly $8 million dollars, only fueling the raging storm.

This year, after Specter switched parties, we wondered what would happen to his appropriations requests. After doing some digging, we discovered that Sen. Specter (D-PA) was not planning to earmark any of his FY2010 appropriations money for the same AOUM programs that Sen. Specter (R-PA) had so eagerly given in previous years. A call to his appropriations staffer in D.C. confirmed our find. She explained that due to the declining economic situation, Specter had received an increase in the number of requests for appropriations. Apparently, the Senator needed to shift funding over to hospitals and universities. Hmm. Well, whatever the reason, we’re happy he’s moved on…

We hope this isn’t a mere dalliance, but actually a commitment to a new relationship. Perhaps he’ll start his wooing by co-sponsoring the REAL (Responsible Education About Life) Act, which calls for sex ed programs that are medically accurate, age-appropriate, and scientifically based. After all, President Obama has already cut abstinence-only-until-marriage funding out of his proposed budget for next year. Maybe this time around, our legislators will start adding programs that do work instead of just eliminating those that don’t.

Ruth and Dina in Philadelphia

Y-N-T...Youth Need Truth!

Pennsylvanians for Responsible Sex Education (PARSE), a coalition of different organizations, including the ACLU of PA, sponsored a lobby day in Harrisburg yesterday in support of two new bills. The day was a great success as over 100 constituents from all over the state came and met with their legislators to advocate for the bills.

The Healthy Youth Act and the Notice Home Act, are geared towards bettering sex education policy in Pennsylvania. The Healthy Youth Act, which is sponsored by Representative Chelsa Wagner, would require the teaching comprehensive sex education in all public and public charter schools in Pennsylvania. This version of sex education would still include and stress abstinence as the only one hundred percent way to avoid pregnancy or STI contraction, however, it would also provide scientifically accurate, age-appropriate information on forms of contraceptives. The Notice Home Act would require a notice to be sent home to parents in the event that their school teaches or is having an outside instructor come in to teach an abstinence-only program, giving them the opportunity to opt their child out of the instruction. This seems especially important to anyone who has seen the antics of many of these “abstinence educators” like Derek the Clown. This bill is sponsored by former teacher, Representative Ed Pashinski.

A rally was held in the rotunda of the capitol building in Harrisburg, featuring several speakers including Jordyn Bowen, a Union City High School student who is for comprehensive sex education. Fun was had and some positive change was hopefully made! Thanks to all of those involved!

Check out a video that was taken of the event as well as a radio interview of another student.



Cassidy in Philadelphia

Virginity Pledges: A Waste of Time and Money

Well surprise, surprise. Teens who take “virginity pledges,” (signed documents stating that they will wait until marriage before engaging in sexual activity) are not less likely to have sex than their peers according to a recent study conducted by Janet Elise Rosenbaum of Johns Hopkins University. (CNN.com “Virginity Pledges don’t Mean Much, Study Says”)

Pledge is an interesting word. It is defined by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary as “a binding promise or agreement to do or forebear.” Okay. Now let’s look closely at that definition so that it can be understood a little better. Promise and agreement are too pretty simple words, so I think those are understood. But what about binding? Webster’s went with “to exert a restraining or compelling affect.” Okay. What really makes something binding though? A piece of paper with a signature? If that were true there would be much more trust in regards to our local and federal governments. I mean, c’mon, how many signed “agreements” have been broken when the parties involved became less interested? Just take one look at our lame-duck President George W. Bush and his trail of broken promises or “agreements” because he had “executive power.” No, a signature on a piece of paper is not binding. What makes something binding is the ability of some group or person to enforce the signer’s agreement. This is true of legal documents (well most anyway.) It is this reason that virginity pledges just don’t work. There is nothing forcing these teenagers to follow through with their pledge in the face of love or even just lust. That is, unless their parents or clergy find out and, even then, it still is not binding. They won’t go to jail or be fined for breaking their promise…at least not yet.

So sex is forced to be secret, to be a shameful act, or one of delicious rebellion, depending on the kid. This need for secrecy is what makes policies like virginity pledges so dangerous. It is yet another barrier put up to stop teens from finding out about healthy sexual behaviors and the risks that are involved in unprotected sex. After hearing your Mom tell you how “truly proud!” she is of you for signing a virginity pledge, are you really going to feel like fessing up? “Oops!” probably won’t cut it. So you probably don’t tell, but you keep having sex. The problem here is schools that participate in virginity pledges probably only teach abstinence. Sex is off topic in home and at school, so knowledge on the subject comes from friends who have probably not discussed sexual health with an honest, knowledgeable adult. This is the reason why teens who take virginity pledges have sex as much as their peers but are much less likely to use a condom or contraceptives.

To make it even more obvious how ridiculous the use of virginity pledges are in light of the fact that they don’t work, is they are yet another example of wasted funds allotted for education. Pledges don’t work, plain and simple. Their usefulness is not being debated based on ideology alone, but rather, simple effectiveness. In a country that prides itself on creating effective systems and programs, virginity pledges should be erased due to their failure to produce results. That is not an ideological point of view; it is a logical one.

Cassidy in Philadelphia

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/12/30/virginity.pledges/

Rising Teen Birth Rates Reveal Complicated Issues

Last week the CDC reported a rise in the national teen birth rate for the first time in 14 years. The percent of births to teenagers nationally rose by 3% overall – the first increase in the teen birth rate since 1991.

Statistically, that’s pretty significant.

The US has the highest teen birth rate in the developed world. However, for more than a decade the U.S. was able to proudly tout the fact that the teenage birth rate was steadily declining. We can’t guarantee access to healthcare but we’ve been successfully working on preventing young women from becoming young mothers. Right?

Wrong.

So what changed?

I think it’s a fundamental lack of access that’s the problem. It’s not just the 46 million uninsured Americans that our nation should be hanging its head at - most Americans can’t go to the doctor. And most teens can’t get straight answers or medically-accurate information about contraceptives because of abstinence-only education, and access to abortion is eroding at an alarming rate with restrictive laws like the Hyde Amendment.

The problem with abstinence-only education isn't the abstinence, it's the only. A government sponsored study released earlier this year, not the first of its kind, found federally-funded abstinence-only programs are ineffective and provide teens with exaggerated failure-rate statistics if they do discuss contraceptives. Why would a young person use a condom if they think it’s not going to work? And where else are they going to get that information? I only graduated from high school six years ago and I heard more buzz about birth control and condoms in junior high than I have at any point since. Aside from seeking out specific news sources or occasionally coming across an ad in a magazine, I rarely hear about ways I can protect myself during sex. Where is the discussion? Where is the information? Has the AIDS scare died? Has it become a problem we’ve moved to other nations, neglecting to recognize that American youth are still vulnerable, are still going to have sex, and are still at risk for pregnancy and STIs, including HIV and AIDS?

I’m getting a little tangential. Condom use is on the rise. But I still worry that the CDC’s announcement will only be repeated year after year, for years to come.

There’s a stigma surrounding abortion and if teens don’t even have access to those services – clinics are closing, and teens rights are being restricted – than what are they to do if they do find themselves pregnant?

Because there’s no easy answer we need to be teaching teens how to protect themselves, we need to be providing them with easy access to all available options with regard to their reproductive health, and we need to be providing young parents with the tools they need to succeed. It’s a little overwhelming to see how multi-faceted the problem is, but hopefully with all the buzz the CDC announcement has created we will see that this is not a hopeless problem but one with many different solutions and a lot of areas and avenues for people to involve themselves and their communities in creating positive change.

Sarah, Project Coordinator of the Duvall Project

Spoken word for the ACLU

This is fresh. National ACLU has been working with spoken word artists Steve Connell and Sekou (tha misfit) to produce a new collection of poetry on some of our most urgent issues. Listen to Steve and Sekou's piece on habeas corpus. Here's the page dedicated to their work, which also includes poems on abstinence-only education and free speech.

Andy in Harrisburg