Heritage Foundation Leadership for America

May 5, 2005
More Evidence of the Effectiveness of Abstinence Education Programs
By Melissa G. Pardue
(WebMemo #738)
Another report shows that abstinence education works.

February 28, 2005
Beyond the Words at Beijing + 10: How U.N. Policy Falls Short of Women's Best Interests
By Jennifer A. Marshall, Melissa G. Pardue, and Grace V. Smith
(Backgrounder #1829)
As the U.N. observes the 10th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, the United States should continue to focus on policies that promote the domestic and ...

December 16, 2004
Mayors' Claims of Growing Hunger Are Once Again Exaggerated
By Melissa G. Pardue, Robert Rector, and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1813)
According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, food-bank use in major cities has increased at an average rate of 16 percent per year for the ...

December 13, 2004
Mayors' Claims of Growing Hunger Appear Once Again Wildly Exaggerated
By Melissa G. Pardue, Robert Rector, and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #620)
Is hunger up 17 percent this year? Don't bet on it.

December 2, 2004
Waxman Report Is Riddled with Errors and Inaccuracies
By Melissa G. Pardue
(WebMemo #615)
A new report from Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) and the minority staff of the House Committee on Government Reform, The Content of Federally Funded Abstinence-Only ...

August 10, 2004
Comprehensive Sex Education vs. Authentic Abstinence: A Study of Competing Curricula
By Shannan Martin, Robert Rector, and Melissa G. Pardue
(Special Report )
As this Heritage Foundation Report proves, "abstinence-plus" is simply not abstinence education.

March 30, 2004
Reducing Domestic Violence: How the Healthy Marriage Initiative Can Help
By Melissa G. Pardue and Robert Rector
(Backgrounder #1744)
The President's Healthy Marriage Initiative seeks to prevent the isolation and poverty of welfare mothers by intervening before a pattern of broken relationships and welfare ...

March 26, 2004
Understanding the President's Healthy Marriage Initiative
By Robert E. Rector and Melissa G. Pardue
(Backgrounder #1741)
The current welfare system financially penalizes unmarried parents who wish to wed, despite the fact that an increased marriage rate among welfare recipients is both ...

January 28, 2004
What Do Parents Want Taught in Sex Education Programs?
By Robert E. Rector, Melissa G. Pardue, and Shannan Martin
(Backgrounder #1722)
A nationally representative Zogby International poll shows that American parents overwhelmingly, and in some cases almost unanimously, support the themes and messages of abstinence education ...

January 21, 2004
The Fundamental Institutions: President Bush on Marriage, the Family, and Faith
By Jennifer Marshall, Matthew Spalding, Melissa Pardue, and Joe Loconte
(WebMemo #399)
President Bush, in his third State of the Union address, recognized that the strength of this nation rests on certain fundamental "pillars of civilization"—marriage, the ...

January 14, 2004
Government Spends $12 on Safe Sex and Contraceptives for Every $1 Spent on Abstinence
By Melissa G. Pardue, Robert E. Rector, and Shannan Martin
(Backgrounder #1718)
Given the alarming content of most comprehensive sex-ed programs, and given the current funding imbalance between contraceptive promotion and abstinence programs, any new monies devoted ...

December 15, 2003
Mayors' Claims of Growing Hunger Appear Wildly Exaggerated
By Melissa G. Pardue, Robert E. Rector, and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1711)
Policymakers should be wary of the claims of "increasing hunger" that are likely to be made in the 2003 U.S. Conference of Mayors report. Year ...

August 22, 2003
"Marriage Plus": Sabotaging the President's Efforts to Promote Healthy Marriage
By Robert E. Rector, Melissa G. Pardue, Lauren R. Noyes
(Backgrounder #1677)
Opponents of President Bush's pilot initiative to fund innovative marriage-promotion programs have proposed an alternative strategy termed "marriage plus."

June 27, 2003
Don't Rush to Judgment on Charitable Choice
By Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D., and Melissa G. Pardue
(Executive Memorandum #889)
President George W. Bush and many Members of Congress desire to expand the ability of faith-based organizations to compete for federal social service contracts. Congress ...

June 12, 2003
Sharp Reduction in Black Child Poverty Due to Welfare Reform
By Melissa G. Pardue
(Backgrounder #1661)
For every black child whose economic condition has worsened in the past six years, six have risen out of poverty. But policies that ignore low ...

May 2, 2003
Increased Abstinence Causes a Large Drop in Teen Pregnancy
By Melissa G. Pardue
(Executive Memorandum #872)
Abstinence programs, endorsed by President Bush and many in Congress, have long been advocated as effective in reducing sexual activity and out-of-wedlock childbearing rates among ...

June 10, 2005
Success in Encouraging Teen Abstinence
By Melissa Pardue

Experienced parents will tell you that if you can get your kids through the teen years, they likely will be just fine as adults. That's ...

February 9, 2005
The Kinsey Whitewash
By Melissa Pardue

Parents who feel embattled by the envelope-pushing entertainment industry and "non-judgmental" sex education in the schools may not realize it, but the source of their ...

October 14, 2004
Sex Education -- By the Book
By Melissa Pardue

For many students around the country, textbooks aren't exactly a source of excitement. But for many Texas parents, they're the source of a brewing controversy. ...

April 1, 2004
The Return of the Ring
By Melissa Pardue and Robert Rector

Marriage is a hot topic these days, especially in light of President Bush's call for a constitutional amendment to define the very concept.

January 15, 2004
Good Money for Bad Advice
By Melissa Pardue and Robert Rector

Instead of investing heavily in contraception and sexual education programs that send the wrong message to teens, we ought to spend more encouraging those teens ...

December 23, 2003
Hungry for the Truth
By Melissa Pardue and Robert Rector

Our nation is struggling to find new ways to reduce hunger, poverty and welfare dependence and increase prosperous self-sufficiency. We've made progress, but there still ...

June 30, 2003
In Defense of Marriage
By Melissa Pardue

Marriage works. That's why President Bush wants to spend $300 million next year to help new parents build healthy marriages. That's about a penny for ...