PLANNED PARENTHOOD MARKS WORLD AIDS DAY, STRESSES NEED FOR PREVENTION AND REAL SEX EDUCATION

For Immediate Release: June 2, 2014

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Urges Congress to Stop Funding Failed Abstinence-Only Programs

Washington, DC — As the international community marks World AIDS Day on December 1, 2008, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) calls for renewed attention to the importance of testing and prevention to stop the spread of sexually transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS, and for an end to federal funding for abstinence-only programs that fail to work by denying teenagers the lifesaving information they need to stay healthy and safe.

Today, we reflect on the wide-reaching impact of HIV/AIDS and call upon elected officials to face these challenges with commonsense solutions to protect women, men and teens around the world. Through a real investment in education and testing, we can begin to effectively prevent the spread of this disease.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 1.1 million people were estimated to be living with HIV disease in the United States. 

As one of the nation’s leading reproductive health care providers, Planned Parenthood knows firsthand the power of education and testing in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Every year PPFA provides five million women, men and teens worldwide with the health information and services they need to prevent unintended pregnancy and protect their health.

In the last decade, more than $1.5 billion in federal and state funding has been wasted on dangerous abstinence-only programs that deny teenagers lifesaving information. 

A recent study by the Guttmacher Institute found that most federally funded abstinence-only programs do not help delay teens’ sexually activity. Rather, the study found that comprehensive sex education programs had a positive impact on teen sexuality and should be more widely used. 

In addition to PPFA’s prevention work in communities across America, the organization's international programs expand access to comprehensive reproductive health services and HIV prevention programs throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Planned Parenthood works to train increasing numbers of health care partners to provide HIV/AIDS counseling and testing.

For more information on the HIV/AIDS testing and treatment programs at a Planned Parenthood near you, log onto our website: https://www.plannedparenthood.org.

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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 700 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.