Contact: Margie Shealy, Christian Medical Association, 423-341-4254

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- The 19,000-member Christian Medical Association (www.cmda.org) and the 30,000-strong Freedom2Care (www.Freedom2Care.org) today applauded a new initiative by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services to ensure that its investment in sex education is backed by sound and objective scientific research.

"The HHS leadership recognizes how important it is to tie policy and programs to sound research, and this project promises to tie that knot securely," said CMA CEO Dr. David Stevens. "Research not only on what programs work but also what communication with youth works should go a long way toward equipping our youth with sound strategies for sexual health. It's also vitally important to involve parents in any strategies, such as sexual risk avoidance programs, for their children's sex education."

Freedom2Care director Jonathan Imbody added, "The new $10 million research project with HHS's Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) promises to make a reality what too often is just a slogan: evidence-based policy. It's tempting to bend social science research to fit one's ideology, and we trust that this effort will provide a transparent process, scientifically sound methodology and accurate and objective interpretation of results to produce the best strategies for our youth. With so many previous federally funded sex education programs failing to produce positive results, it's imperative to translate this research into policy quickly and effectively for the sake of our youth."