During Lobby Day, our group had a rather frustrating meeting with a Ms. Jobina Brown, legislative aide for Representative Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD, 2nd District).  First of all, the fact that Representative Ruppersberger is a Maryland Democrat and is not currently co-sponsoring the R.E.A.L. Act (Responsible Education About Life--legislation supporting comprehensive sexuality education for youth) is COMPLETELY unacceptable.  Maryland's HIV rates are over double the national average, our teen pregnancy rates are 7% higher than the national average, and we rank in the top 6 states for highest number of teenage abortions (National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, The Alan Guttmacher Institute). But what really aggravated me were the reasons Ms. Jobina Brown listed for why Reprentative Ruppersberger is not currently sponsoring the R.E.A.L. Act:

1. Representative Ruppersberger wants to see where the party leadership votes.
2. Representative Ruppersberger wants to hear the "facts" from both sides.
3. Representative Ruppersberger hasn't heard anything from his constituents regarding this issue.

1. As an official elected by the people in order to represent them, perhaps it would be best if Mr. Ruppersberger concerned himself a bit more with advocating on behalf of the health and safety of his district's youth than keeping in step with the DNC foxtrot.  And really, abstinence-only education has been the Bush Administration's political pet.  Do you really think the Democratic Party is going to be quick to hop in bed with Dubya on this?  
2. The facts from both sides, how quaint.  The facts are that 13% of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the U.S. are among youth, 10,000 young Americans become infected with an STI every year, and teen pregnancy in our country is on the rise.  The facts are that the Department of Health and Human Services, the Kaiser Foundation, Mathematica, and a Congressional Review all found that abstinence-only education does not work.  The fact is that the $167 million going to support ab-only through CBAE and Title V funding is the largest ideological earmark in our country's history.  The fact is that youth have a right to access the information that will keep us healthy and safe, the information that will keep us alive.
3. Representative Ruppersberger needs to be held accountable to his constituents, as do all elected officals.  Please take the time to call or write Representative Ruppersberger's office.  Click here for his office's contacts and to see if he represents your district.  Next time we meet with anyone from Mr. Rubbersberger's office, I don't want his legislative aide to be able to say that she hasn't heard from his constituents.  I want her to say that District 2 residents stated loud and clear that we care about the public health crisis that is killing our generation.  I want her to say that teenagers have kept the phone ringing and the mail-sorting interns busy, and that Representative Ruppersberger has become a strong supporter of ending abstinence-only funding and supporting comprehensive sexuality education for all youth.