BOSTON – The four Catholic bishops in Massachusetts are calling on the state to eliminate funding for a sexual education website for teenagers that critics say uses graphic language to describe sex acts and downplays the physical and emotional risks of abortion.

In a statement released Friday by the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, Cardinal Sean O’Malley of the Boston Archdiocese and bishops George Coleman of the Fall River Diocese, Timothy McDonnell of the Springfield Diocese and Robert McManus of the Worcester Diocese urged the state to eliminate a $100,000 grant that funds www.mariatalks.com, which is maintained by the independent AIDS Action Committee. The bishops also asked that the site be taken down.

The state Department of Public Health has defended the site as an important tool for providing accurate sexual health information to teenagers, but has also indicated it would be willing to discuss concerns with critics and, if necessary, make changes to the content of the site.

The site features “Maria” and other fictional teens who discuss topics including sex, birth control, pregnancy, abortion and sexually transmitted diseases.

In response to the question “Can I get an abortion if I am under 18?” the character says that while the information can be confusing and intimidating, “I promise you the reality of getting an abortion is much easier than it sounds here.”

The website refers to abortion in “misleadingly opaque terms,” according to the Catholic leaders, and provides teenagers with detailed information on how they can obtain abortions without their parents’ consent.