Pennsylvania Should Not Seek Federal Funding For Abstinence-Only Programs, Editorial Says

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 04 Sep 2008 - 11:00 PST

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For the first time since Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) took office in 2003, the state Department of Health is seeking $1.7 million in federal funding to support abstinence-only sex education programs for organizations and schools in the state, marking an "abrupt shift" for the Rendell administration, a Philadelphia Inquirer editorial says.

According to the editorial, studies have given "failing marks" to abstinence-only education programs. A spokesperson for the state health department said that it is applying for the federal funds this year because it does not want to stand in the way of community groups that want access to federal money available for abstinence-only programs, but "that explanation seems weak, since the same federal funds can be secured directly by groups or schools -- without state involvement," the editorial says.

According to the editorial, "Pennsylvania should reconsider venturing down this slippery slope. The funds could be used only for abstinence-until-marriage programs. Teachers would be barred from discussing birth control, except to tell students those methods fail." At a "time when teenagers need a clear message about safe sex, Pennsylvania is sending the wrong message," the editorial says, concluding, "To make good decisions, teenagers need to know all of their options -- including abstinence. The state should not participate in encouraging programs that offer anything less" (Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/1).

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