Statewide Chair Mary McLellan Heritage Community Services Regional Chairs Mariscia Cooper (Pee Dee) Charlie Lybrand (Lowcountry) Lenna Neill (Upstate) Rev. Randy Riddle (Grand Strand) Dr. Roger Rollins (CSRA) Charlotte Valentine-Green (Ace Basin)   Advisory Council Eugene Bacote Darlington School District Dr. Vera Bailey Hilton Head Preg. Care Center Pamela Berry Colleton Fire and Rescue Dr. Vonda Calcutt Lowcountry Ctr. Diabetes Sen. Chip Campsen Charleston/Berkeley Rev. Chuck Coward Charleston Outreach Robin Crosby Colleton County Ligure Ellington Ret.Capt. Charleston City Police Dr. Randy Goings Chiropractic Physician Faye Hill Lowcountry Pregnancy Center & SC Association Pregnancy Care Centers WC Hoecke Fatherhood Practioner Leroy Lewis Upward Bound at Cof C Norman L. Moore, Jr. Colonel, USAFR(Ret) Cyndi Mosteller Comm. for Higher Education Alexia Newman Carolina Pregnancy Center Fred Payne Marriage Savers of Upstate Jerry & Barbara Seymour R& R Marriage Min. Ronald Shoupe Colleton County Dr. A. V. Strong A Better Way, Inc. (Gang Out) Dr. Robert Thomas Pulmonary Medicine Pastor Phil Thrailkill St. Luke UMC Hartsville Kelly Walker Upstate Fatherhood Coalition	April 19, 2011 SC Healthy Family Formation Coalition E-News!     Abstinence Programs Influencing Teens by Julie Hershey Greenville News - April 18, 2011   Now is not the time for politicians to eliminate the very prevention programs that mitigate poverty and the need for government intervention. The high costs associated with sexually active kids (teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and diseases, emotional difficulties, dropping out of school, etc.) are destructive to children and overwhelming for taxpayers. The annual bill for teen child-bearing alone in Greenville County is $12,991,350.00.   Recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control is drawing national attention to the success of abstinence-centered education and its impact on sexual decision making.   Last month the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) released statistics based on 2006-2008 data which revealed an increase in abstinence from any sexual contact among 15-24 year olds. Even more startling comparisons (1995-2008) among the 15-17 age group report an impressive decrease in teens ever engaging in sexual activity (27 percent decrease for girls and 33 percent for boys). It needs to be noted that this age group, as well as younger teens, are the primary age groups receiving abstinence-centered education over the past 15 years.   It is time for condom education providers and elected officials to admit the facts surrounding the success of abstinence-centered education and that teens are receptive to the message about delaying sexual activity. Heritage Community Services’ Heritage Keepers® Abstinence program has had an impressive impact on teens by changing unhealthy attitudes and behaviors for the past 12 years. Recent data released by the Institute for Research and Evaluation dispels the myth that abstinence education is a “just say no” program. Heritage Keepers® students had sex at a rate 1/3 (one third) the rate of non-program comparison students during a 12 month follow-up. The Heritage Keepers® students initiated sex at a rate of 16% while the non-program students initiated sex at a rate of 47%.       It is not coincidental that increased federal funding for abstinence-centered education began in 1996, and teen sexual activity and pregnancy rates dramatically decreased.   Condom education, to reduce HIV infections, was the standard message prior to 1996 resulting in skyrocketing teen pregnancy rates. When abstinence-centered education was funded and launched in 1996, the rates of teen pregnancy and teen sexual activity began to plummet.   Why has this good news about abstinence education from the NSFG been kept under wraps for over two years while the current administration forced more than 176 federal (and state) community-based abstinence programs onto the chopping block? Cutting funds for abstinence-centered programs while increasing funds for condom-based programs defies fiscal sense - especially when research and peer reviewed studies have proven the effectiveness of abstinence-centered education.     Heritage Community Services is no exception with various funding streams eliminated forcing a drastic reduction in workforce and program implementation. What’s more outrageous is contraception-based programs in South Carolina recently received a whopping $22 million to teach kids how to have sex without getting pregnant.   Our society cannot afford to sacrifice effective primary prevention programs and the health of our kids on the altar of politics. Federal and state elected officials need to hear from constituents that they want programs that are proven to reduce teen sex thus reducing teen pregnancy rates, sexually transmitted diseases and emotional problems.  This is not a partisan issue – it is a health issue with personal and financial ramifications.     Follow the SC-HFF Coalition on Twitter! Join the Heritage Keepers® Facebook Cause
	The South Carolina Healthy Family Formation Coalition (SC HFF Coalition) is organized and staffed by Heritage Community Services. The SC HFF Coalition promotes child and family well-being by providing opportunities for statewide communication about such issues as: adolescent pregnancy, unwed childbearing, fatherlessness, sexual exploitation of our youth, dating violence and domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, gang activity and youth violence.    Coalition members support healthy family formation initiatives that integrate character-based life skills, teen pregnancy prevention with an emphasis on abstinence-centered education, and the importance of fidelity-within-marriage.   Together we can impact our culture so that forming healthy families becomes a norm, rather than the exception, for South Carolina. Please, forward this E-News to interested friends, family and colleagues and ask them to consider joining the Coalition. Join/Subscribe Unsubscribe PRIVACY POLICY: Information you share will never be sold, rented, or given to any third party. Contact Mary McLellan , Statewide Chairman (843)654-7740 ext.122