President Obama’s latest 2010 budget will eliminate most of the federal funding for abstinence-only sex-education, in favor of funding for other programs aimed at decreasing rates of teen pregnancy. It’s a proposition that is likely to come up against Congressional opposition.
Abstinence-only sex education programs, which emphasize a “no sex until marriage” message have been heavily-funded since 2001, but studies of abstinence-only programs have shown little success. The most often-cited study–released in 2007, federally funded and mandated by Congress–found that abstinence-only programs don’t prevent or delay teen sex.
The Obama administration wants to redirect funding from “abstinence-only education programs to evidence-based and promising teen pregnancy prevention programs.” Valerie Huber of the National Abstinence Association says they will work harder to convince Congress that the programs should continue.
Budget Widens Teen Pregnancy Prevention Efforts [Wall Street Journal, 5/7/09]
[Image via USA Today]
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