April 23, 2008

To:        Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Fr:         Rev. John H. Thomas, General Minister and President,

             United Church of Christ

For more than thirty years the United Church of Christ General Synod has encouraged the study of human sexuality by children, youth, and adults, and has consistently supported the conviction that comprehensive sexuality education is a critical component of morally informed decision making about sexuality. 

To this end, and in response to the requests and experiences of many of our members, the United Church of Christ, along with the Unitarian Universalist Association, has published age-appropriate, medically-accurate sexuality resources for children, youth, young adults and adults.  These resources have  allowed people of all ages, races, sexual orientations and abilities to learn about and celebrate the gift of human sexuality, and to make decisions about the expression of their sexuality that are disciplined, healthy, and just. 

We live in a society that is deeply conflicted about human sexuality.  The daily images and messages we receive influence how we see ourselves and how we relate to others as human beings in the fullest sense.  We are shocked by abusive sexual behavior that deprives children of their childhood, coercively treats women or men as objects, and confuses sexual imposition with sexual intimacy.  We believe that our sexuality is a gift of our creator and is intrinsic to our identity as loving persons.  In the absence of thoughtful and open school, church, and family based sexuality education, our children and youth are left either with the images of the media or with narrow, ideologically based sex education centered only on abstinence.  One encourages exploitation.  The other focuses on fear.  Neither is appropriate or helpful.

I urge the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to bring an end to federal funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.  It is immoral to continue to fund programs that have not proven to be effective.   Our children and youth deserve to be given information that is not ideologically driven.  To withhold information from our children and youth does not respect their full humanity.