New Poll Shows DC Parents Overwhelmingly Support HIV and Sex Education

A recent city-wide poll, sponsored by MTA and the DC Healthy Youth Coalition, demonstrates that parents in the District overwhelmingly want their children to receive comprehensive sex and HIV prevention education in school. The Zogby International Poll, which sampled 652 DC parents showed that parents were nearly unanimous (98%) in their concern about the rates of HIV and STDs in Washington DC. Almost all (93%) of the parents polled think that preventing HIV and unintended pregnancies begins with comprehensive sex education that includes information on refraining from sex.

While the majority of parents support comprehensive sex education, the District of Columbia still accepts abstinence-only until marriage funding. There is no scientific evidence that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs—those that censor information about contraception—are effective in preventing HIV or teen pregnancy. Further, these messags are damaging to gay and lesbian youth.

A total of 22 states have rejected abstinence-only until marriage funding. While numerous youth organizations in DC have asked Mayor Adrian Fenty to reject this money, he has not yet done so.