What’s At Stake If Planned Parenthood’s Sex Ed Funding Disappears

Planned Parenthood of Greater New York (PPGNY) continues to raise concerns about the future of its sex education programs following a lawsuit filed in response to federal policy changes impacting the Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program.

The suit, filed earlier this month by PPGNY and several other affiliates, challenges a directive from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services requiring funded programs to align with current Presidential Executive Orders. Educators and advocates say the change threatens access to evidence-based education for communities that already face barriers to care and information.

Since the lawsuit was filed, Morgan Little, Associate Vice President of Education and Training at PPGNY, said the organization has fielded a range of questions from community partners and participants.

“There’s been a lot of confusion from our community and partners in terms of if our programming will be available, or even if we’ll be able to have programming at their schools,” she said. “This interest from our partners and the investment in Project STAR really shows the value and importance of the program and the information that young people and their families are receiving.”

PPGNY’s STAR (Supporting Teens’ Access and Rights) program is one of the initiatives at risk. The program provides evidence-based, age-appropriate sexual health education across 15 community districts in New York City, including parts of Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Harlem, Morgan said.

According to Morgan, STAR workshops are designed for middle and high school students, as well as youth with disabilities. The curriculum includes “Project AIM” and “Making Proud Choices” for middle schoolers, and “Be Proud! Be Responsible!” for high school students. PPGNY is also piloting a program called “Positive Prevention Plus,” which is tailored to youth with disabilities.

“All of our core curriculum… are evidence-based and so that means that they’ve been researched and proven to produce specific learning and behavioral outcomes,” Morgan said. “Positive Prevention Plus for special populations is evidence-informed, meaning that it’s built on the best available research tailored to the unique needs of young people with disabilities.”

Workshops begin by building trust and setting community agreements to create a safe, respectful environment. Once that foundation is established, educators guide students through lessons on topics such as communication, consent, STI prevention, and relationship boundaries.

“These workshops are more than just facts and figures,” she said. “They’re about building life skills and helping young people make informed, confident choices around their health, their relationships and essentially, their future.”

PPGNY uses a research and evaluation team to determine which communities to serve, conducting community assessments using data from the CDC, focus groups, and other local information. The goal is to identify under-resourced neighborhoods that face high barriers to healthcare access and information.

Morgan said staff training is a critical piece of the program’s success, particularly for engaging students from diverse backgrounds, including LGBTQ+ youth, English language learners, and students with disabilities. Staff undergo ongoing internal and external training, participate in national conferences, and use tools like a digital game developed through Project SHINE to improve engagement with youth with disabilities.

Feedback from both students and parents has been positive, she said. Students often use anonymous question boxes to engage with the material, and parents have reported that their children are initiating more conversations at home.

“One of the most gratifying things is when we get to hear from parents or caregivers who say their young people are coming home and sharing what they’ve learned,” Morgan said. “They were thanking us for helping them address these topics, and felt really supported.”

PPGNY also offers adult role model workshops for parents and caregivers in both English and Spanish. These sessions cover child development, parental monitoring, and communication strategies aimed at strengthening family conversations around sexual health.

Morgan said losing funding for these initiatives would create a significant gap in services.

“Slashing the program would mean really an end to our Project STAR programming and critical programming at PPGNY that is key for the communities and the family and for the young people to make informed decisions about their lives and future and health,” she said. “Cutting these programs harms those who’ve been marginalized… who already are facing barriers to accessing this information or healthcare access.”

With the lawsuit ongoing, Morgan said the organization is focused on continuing its work for as long as possible.

“In this moment, we want to do this work as intentional as we can, for as long as we can… and that for me, that is the key,” she said. “That is the future that I can see in this moment.”