Los Angeles Times Examines Some Congressional Democrats' Support Of Abstinence-Only Education

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 16 Oct 2007 - 5:00 PDT

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The Los Angeles Times on Sunday examined the outlook for federally funded abstinence-only sex education programs. Although some Democrats have "long criticized the programs" for being ineffective at curbing sexually transmitted infections and teen pregnancy, the programs are "surviving attempts to shut them down" in part because of support from House Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey (D-Wis.) (Alonso-Zaldivar, Los Angeles Times, 10/14).

The House in July voted 276-140 to approve a $152 billion fiscal year 2008 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill (HR 3043), which includes an increase in funding for HHS' Community-Based Abstinence Education Program that gives grants to groups that teach abstinence but not how to use contraception (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/20). The measure included a $28 million increase from $113 million for CBAE, which President Bush requested, according to the Times.

According to the Times, the other major federal abstinence education program, called Title V, also is "holding [its] own" in Congress (Los Angeles Times, 10/14). The Title V program distributes money based on a formula favoring states with more low-income children. To receive Title V funds, states must adhere to certain requirements, including barring teachers from discussing contraception and requiring them to say that sex within marriage is "the expected standard of sexual activity." Many state governors have said the grants place too many restrictions on the curricula (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 9/5). Twelve states have rejected Title V funding.

The Times reports that Obey is supporting the programs in an attempt to avoid the "highly charged terrain of moral issues" and garner Republican support for other programs Bush wants to cut. Senate committee leaders are attempting to reduce funding for abstinence-only sex education programs.

Comments
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who has criticized abstinence-only programs, recently said, "I've made clear to my colleagues that I don't believe abstinence-only is an effective approach or that it makes sense to increase funding," adding, "I haven't been able to prevail on the issue of appropriations but plan to continue to fight for better programs for youth."

James Wagoner -- president of Advocates for Youth -- said that some Democrats have "used the abstinence-only issue as the cornerstone of the claim that the Bush administration was putting ideology and politics ahead of science," adding, "Now they suddenly have gone mute and silent when their own people are in power." Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association, said, "We're expecting funding to be pretty comparable to what it was in the past," adding, "Those who oppose abstinence education are probably more surprised than I am."

Robert Rector, a senior policy analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said that he believes Democrats "do not want to be saddled with killing abstinence education." However, Jackie Payne, a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said there is "tangible evidence that there is going to be an end" to federal funding for abstinence-only programs. Rector said that he believes Democrats will wait until after the 2008 election season to seek to end federal funding for abstinence education. According to the Times, Obey's office declined a request for an interview (Los Angeles Times, 10/14).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.