Last week, in a reported congressional study, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and his staff released an alarming report, which sheds light on the creeping power of "religious" conservatives over government policies. Waxman's study found that an astounding two-thirds of federally funded abstinence-only sexual education programs distort facts and mislead young people by giving false information about abortion, contraception and the effectiveness of condoms in preventing pregnancy and disease.

Among the "false, misleading or distorted" information being passed on to young people all across this country include references to condoms failing to prevent the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, as often as 31 percent of the time. In reality, federal researchers have found that condoms are more than 97 percent effective in preventing pregnancy and halting the spread of disease. Other distorted and false information include references to abortion leading to sterility and suicide, half the gay male teenage population having tested positive for "the AIDS virus" (HIV), and that simply touching a person's genitals can lead to pregnancy. This study is frightening given the drastic increases in funding that abstinence-only programs have received in recent years.

Next year alone, the federal government is set to spend close to $200 million on these dangerous programs that put the well-being of young people at risk simply to satisfy the ideology of religious fundamentalists. The young people of this country deserve medically accurate, age-appropriate information so that they can make a well informed decision. Real, comprehensive sexual education programs save lives!