WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The American Civil Liberties Union Wednesday supported a bill to fund sex education that includes both abstinence and contraception information.
The Responsible Education About Life Act, or REAL, was introduced by by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.
The REAL Act would provide states with funding to teach sexuality education that includes information on both abstinence and contraception, the ACLU said.
Funding for the program would match federal dollars currently earmarked for "abstinence-only-until-marriage" education, the ACLU said. The organization said there is currently no federal program that funds comprehensive sexuality education.
The act would require programs to teach age-appropriate and medically accurate information that is free from religion, the ACLU said.
Abstinence would be taught as the only sure way to avoid pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections; however, programs would include information on how to prevent pregnancy and the infections using contraceptives.
