A story released today by the U.S. Newswire reports that social conservative policymakers are facing an unexpected foe as the debate for federal funding of sex education heats up. Religious leaders are also advocating for sex education that includes abstinence and contraception.

"There is a false assumption that the religious community is in lock-step with the abstinence-only community. They are not," said Debra W. Haffner, M.Div., co-director of the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing. "The full-page ad in today's Roll Call provides the religious rationale for supporting sexually education -- most importantly offering young people the truth and helping them develop a freely informed conscience. Programs that teach abstinence exclusively and withhold information fail the nation's young people."

A provision of the House welfare reauthorization bill would provide federal funding for medically incomplete abstinence programs. The legislation is part of a larger effort by the Bush Administration to increase federal funding for such programs by 35 percent. Typically called abstinence-only, these programs are only permitted to discuss contraception as it relates to failure rates.

Expressing dismay at such an approach, the ad opens with: "As religious leaders, we have a continuing commitment to the spiritual, emotional, and physical health of the nation's young people. Now we are called to join in the public discussion about the nature of sexuality education for the country's youth. Strong public health arguments support comprehensive sexuality education. Here we invite you to consider the religious foundations for supporting sexuality education -- education that respects the whole person, honors the truth and diverse values, and promotes the highest ethical values in human relationships."

Religious leaders aren't the only ones thwarting conventional opinion. The majority of those who define themselves as anti-choice also strongly agree that students should receive sex education that includes abstinence and contraception throughout their school years, according to a 2002 poll of registered voters, commissioned by the Othmer Institute at Planned Parenthood of NYC. In addition, eighty five percent of all respondents agreed that students should receive age-appropriate and medically accurate information about contraception and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.

There currently is no federal program dedicated to supporting sex education that includes responsible, age-appropriate and medically-accurate instruction emphasizing the benefits of abstinence while also teaching about contraception and pregnancy and disease-prevention, despite the proven effectiveness of such programs.