"World AIDS Day is a powerful reminder of the importance of prevention — and of the fact that young people in the U.S. are being denied the information they need to protect their health," said PPNT President/CEO James Roderick.  "Congress has wasted more than a billion dollars on inaccurate and ineffective abstinence-only programs that do nothing to help young people make responsible decisions about preventing infections like HIV/AIDS."

According to the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS, there are approximately 33.2 million people living with HIV worldwide.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates there are more than one million people living with HIV in the United States. 

"Education and testing are essential parts of HIV prevention and every year Planned Parenthood of North Texas does our part to help protect young people, but we can't do it alone," said Roderick.  "It's time for Congress to stop funding wasteful abstinence-only programs and start supporting education that helps young people make responsible decisions about their health — like delaying sexual activity until they are ready and using condoms if and when they decide to have sex."

Planned Parenthood of North Texas has 28 clinics covering 57 counties throughout North Texas serving more than 90,000 clients each year.  In 2006 PPNT provided HIV testing and education to more than 10,000 North Texans.

While Congress continues to fund abstinence-only programs, Planned Parenthood has urged states to reject the federal funds. As a result, governors across America, from Montana to Massachusetts, have rejected funding for abstinence-only programs, citing several reports that have found these programs to be ineffective at changing teens' sexual behavior, including a federally funded April 2007 study by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. Virginia recently became the 14th state to reject the funding.      

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) provides five million women, men and teens worldwide with health care services, information and education each year.  In addition to PPFA's prevention work in communities across America, the organization's international programs expand access to comprehensive reproductive health services and HIV prevention programs throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean.  Planned Parenthood works to train increasing numbers of health care partners to provide HIV/AIDS counseling and testing.

"We need to make sure young people in the U.S. and around the world have the tools they need to make responsible decisions," said Roderick.  "As a parent, I want my teenagers to learn about abstinence and contraception so they can make responsible, safe decisions about their health.  It's time for Congress to stop wasting money and start putting teens and parents first by funding comprehensive sex education programs that include medically accurate messages about prevention and abstinence."

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For more than 70 years, Planned Parenthood has provided compassionate health care in North Texas.  In 2006, PPNT served more than 90,000 patients in its 28 clinics.  PPNT also provides health education outreach to 15,000 individuals a year.