The Politico Examines Sen. Specter's Earmarks For Abstinence Education Programs

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 02 Nov 2007 - 7:00 PDT

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The Politico on Wednesday examined Sen. Arlen Specter's (R-Pa.) earmarks for abstinence-based sex education programs. According to The Politico, Specter -- the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS and Education -- has earmarked more than $8 million to dozens of abstinence programs in Pennsylvania. A fiscal year 2008 Labor-HHS-Education bill (HR 3043) that passed the Senate last week included 188 earmarks secured by Specter and which total $19 million, including $1 million for the Women's Care Center of Erie County, which provides "abortion recovery" counseling.

Specter, who supports abortion rights and favors comprehensive sex education programs, sees the abstinence earmarks as responding to a "significant segment of his constituency, which he believes is entitled to implement programs most consistent with their values," Scott Hoeflich, Specter's chief of staff, said in a statement. Larry Frankel, legislative director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, said Specter's actions are "another example of why earmarks are so problematic," adding, "They can be used to pry and curry favor with constituents based on political expediency rather than a demonstration that the earmark is the best use of money."

Specter is the only member of Congress who earmarks money for abstinence education programs, and some fiscal advocates have said they suspect politics play a part in his earmark selections, The Politico reports. Specter has said his staff chooses earmark recipients based only on merit (Budoff Brown, The Politico, 10/31).

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