The Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH) is blasting the affiliation that 20 Chicago public schools have with Pure Love Alliance (PLA), a group that promotes
abstinence-only sex education with controversial religious undertones. The connection represents one of the more dramatic examples of why abstinence-only programs are ineffective,
says Jenny Knauss, ICAH's executive director. Many health experts like the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization and the Institute of Medicine, say that
abstinence-only curricula have limited value because they fail to meet the needs of adolescents who are engaging in consensual sexual relations.
In response to PLA's presence in some public schools, ICAH, and a broad network of other community organizations is calling on Mayor Richard M. Daley to establish a district-
wide policy that promotes comprehensive health and sexuality education. Supporters include the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Illinois PTA and Cook County Hospital.
ICAH cites the close ties PLA has with the Unification Church as a matter of concern. The church, founded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, has been criticized for recruiting young
people in cult-like ways. The church is most known for its mass marriage ceremonies that involve hundreds of couples getting married at the same time without knowing each other
beforehand or sharing a common language. PLA's CLUE 2000 program, like many abstinence-only initiatives, recommends that youth wait until marriage to engage in sex. But it
additionally advocates for "absolute sex," a policy encouraged by the Unification Church which calls for the church to assign spouses.
As of this reporting, the mayor had not responded to ICAH's request but Paul Vallas, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, has scheduled a meeting with the group and PLA's presence in
the public schools has been discontinued.
Abstinence-only programs have grown in popularity in public schools since the passage of welfare reform legislation in 1996, which provides federal matching funds ($3 to every
$1) to states that provide these programs. The Illinois Department of Human Services currently funds 29 programs around the state.
(ICAH, Jeanette McCullogh, 312/408-2580)