Supporting the goals and ideals of the month of May as Sex Ed For All Month: Youth Power, Information, and Rights.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 409 Supporting the goals and ideals of the month of May as Sex Ed For All Month: Youth Power, Information, and Rights. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 24, 2019 Ms. JAYAPAL (for herself, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. POCAN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. COHEN, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Ms. SPEIER, and Ms. JUDY CHU of California) submitted the following resolu- tion; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider- ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of the month of May as Sex Ed For All Month: Youth Power, Information, and Rights. Whereas Sex Ed For All Month is a nationwide observance that calls on people to take action to invest so as to en- sure all young people have access to comprehensive sex education; Whereas young people face vast systemic inequities and structural barriers to ensuring their lifelong health; VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:25 May 24, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR409.IH HR409 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 409 IH Whereas racial disparities persist in young people’s sexual health, highlighting ongoing inequities in access to sex education as well as sexual health services; Whereas access to quality information and education about young people’s sexual health is a critical step toward ad- dressing disparities; Whereas despite historic declines, the United States has the highest rate of unintended teen pregnancy among com- parable countries and limited resources available for young parents; Whereas young people aged 15 through 25 contract half of the 19 million sexually transmitted infections each year, despite making up only a quarter of the sexually active population; Whereas young people under the age of 25 accounted for 1 in 5 new HIV infections; Whereas three-quarters of LGBT students report harass- ment, 56 percent report feeling unsafe, and nearly a third skipped at least one day of school in the month prior to reporting due to concerns for their safety; Whereas approximately 1 in 3 young women in the United States experiences physical, emotional, or verbal abuse from a dating partner; Whereas sex education that includes information beyond ab- stinence has been found to delay sexual intercourse, in- crease condom or contraceptive use, reduce the number of partners among young people, and decrease physical aggression with intimate partners; Whereas young people who received sex education are 50 per- cent less likely to experience an unintended pregnancy, 31 percent less likely to contract a sexually transmitted VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:25 May 24, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR409.IH HR409 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 409 IH infection, and more likely to delay sexual activity and use contraception upon becoming sexually active; Whereas comprehensive sex education provides information about the prevention of unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, dating violence, sexual assault, bullying, and harassment, and provides re- sources and information on topics ranging from gender stereotyping and gender roles to stigma and sociocultural influences surrounding sex and sexuality; Whereas comprehensive sex education promotes and upholds the rights of young people to information in order to be- come sexually healthy adults and have healthy relation- ships; and Whereas May of each year is now recognized as Sex Ed For All Month: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the goals and ideals of Sex Ed For 2 All Month; 3 (2) calls on all public and elected officials to ad- 4 vocate for and invest in comprehensive sex education 5 legislation; 6 (3) encourages State and local governments, in- 7 cluding their public health agencies, education agen- 8 cies, schools, and media organizations to recognize 9 and support Sex Ed For All Month; 10 (4) commends the work of community and 11 faith-based organizations, State education agencies, 12 local education agencies, and health centers that are 13 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:25 May 24, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR409.IH HR409 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 409 IH providing comprehensive sex education to young peo- 1 ple; 2 (5) prioritizes sex education programs that are 3 more comprehensive in approach, that are evidence- 4 informed, cover a broad range of topics, including 5 medically accurate and complete information that is 6 age and developmentally appropriate about all the 7 aspects of sex, sexual health, and sexuality, are gen- 8 der and gender identity-sensitive, promote edu- 9 cational achievement, critical thinking, decision- 10 making, self-esteem, and self-efficacy, are culturally 11 and linguistically appropriate, reflecting the diverse 12 circumstances and realities of young people, and fos- 13 ter leadership skills and community engagement; 14 (6) discourages health education programs that 15 withhold health-promoting or life-saving information 16 about sexuality-related topics, including HIV, are 17 medically inaccurate, promote gender or racial 18 stereotypes, are insensitive and unresponsive to the 19 needs of sexually active young people, survivors of 20 sexual violence, youth with varying gender identities, 21 gender expressions, and sexual orientations, or are 22 inconsistent with the ethical imperatives of medicine 23 and public health; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:25 May 24, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR409.IH HR409 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 409 IH (7) recommends implementation of comprehen- 1 sive sex education in schools and continued profes- 2 sional development for educators and administrative 3 staff that work with young people; and 4 (8) calls for all youth-serving professionals, edu- 5 cators, and decisionmakers who impact the lives of 6 youth to take action to ensure access to comprehen- 7 sive sex education for all young people. 8 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:25 May 24, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR409.IH HR409 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS