Failure to Launch: Obama's New Teen Initiative Can Be Fixed, and Here's How

• Published in: American journal of sexuality education 2009-11, Vol.4 (3-4), p.198-207
• Main Authors: Smith, William, Wagoner, James
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS); Adolescents; Costs; Health Education; Marriage; Pregnancy; Presidents; Prevention; Public Policy; Sex Education; Sexuality; Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• ISSN: 1554-6128; 1554-6136
• DOI: 10.1080/15546120903408891

President Barack Obama has proposed an end to abstinence-only-until-marriage funding as Americans have known it for the better part of the last decade. This marks a significant change in direction, one that finally brings science and evidence back into government policy. His leadership on this new direction will be essential in the coming negotiations with Congress. The President also has offered a new initiative that has become the source of much discussion among advocates and among these same groups and the White House. The President seeks to reallocate the funding previously spent on abstinence-only-until-marriage to teen pregnancy prevention in a "silo-ed" approach that will inhibit the comprehensive approaches needed to address the challenges facing teens today. In this article, the authors talk about President Obama's new teen initiative. They argue that, while the proposed new initiative is a step in the right direction, there is a great deal of consensus among groups that have been working on these issues for decades that some changes are necessary to achieve maximum benefits in regard to improving reproductive and sexual health, which in turn will contribute to reduced health care and social costs. A few simple modifications to the President's proposed initiative are presented.