Spring Program and Legislative Update

Earlier this month, over 140 activists from campuses and communities across the country came to DC for the One Voice: Reproductive Health and Population Summit. Sierra Club, Population Connection, Advocates For Youth, and the Sexuality Information and Education Caucus of the United States (SIECUS) organized this incredibly successful event. Workshops and training sessions covered issues ranging from increasing access to emergency contraception (EC), to pharmacist refusal and the connections between population growth and the environment. One of the take-home messages of the Summit was the need for continued support of comprehensive sex education nationally and locally.

Take Action today and help keep the momentum of the One Voice Summit going! Support the Responsible Education About Life Act ("REAL": S.368/H.R. 2553). The REAL Act would set up the first-ever federal program to provide responsible, comprehensive sex education to young people. Unlike abstinence-only programs, comprehensive sex education programs that include information about abstinence and contraception have been proven effective in helping young people delay the start of sexual activity, and increasing the use of contraceptives once they do become sexually active.

Contact your members of Congress. Call the Capitol Switchboard today at 1-866-340-9281 and ask to be connected to your members' offices. Urge them to cosponsor the REAL Act. If your members are already cosponsors, thank them for their support. (Here are a list of current Senate cosponsors and House cosponsors.)

Don't know who your members are? Go to www.house.gov (House) and www.senate.gov (Senate) to find out.

In honor of Earth Day, April 22nd, Choice! Magazine interviewed Senior Washington Representative Annette Souder. Read more!

Hot off the Press! Read Sierra Club's interview with Dr. Jane Goodall.