Experts Urge Congress to Cut Abstinence Only Funding

Ten top public health researchers urged Congressional leaders last week to cut funding for failed abstinence only programs. The letter, signed by researchers from universities like Columbia and Yale, as well as from the Guttmacher Institute, was sent to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. It warned that abstinence only programs withhold "potentially life-saving information" about contraceptives and ignore the health needs of homosexual, bisexual and transgender youth, reports the Washington Times. Abstinence only programs also omit information on the use of condoms, which would aid in the prevention of spreading sexually transmitted diseases.

Abstinence only programs have come under increasing fire as studies reveal how ineffective they are. The US has spent about $1 billion on failed abstinence only programs in the past decade.

Many states, including New York, Maine and Pennsylvania, have rejected the matching federal abstinence only funds in favor of teaching comprehensive sex education. Virginia recently became the 14th state to do so, cutting the $275,000 from the state budget that is required to match federal abstinence-only funding.

Media Resources: Daily Women’s Health Policy Report 11/28/07; Washington Times 11/28/07; Feminist Daily Newswire 11/26/07

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Bush Pushes for More Abstinence Only Funding

President Bush is pushing for more funding for abstinence only programs even as a Congressional study shows they are ineffective. The US has spent about $1 billion on failed abstinence-only sex education programs over the past decade and President Bush proposes a 2008 budget of $204 million for such programs, reports Women’s eNews.

In fact, a November 7th study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy showed that programs that combine abstinence and contraception were most effective.

Many states are now rejecting the matching federal abstinence only funds in favor of teaching comprehensive sex education. Just this month, Virginia became the 14th state to do so, cutting the $275,000 from the state budget that is required to match federal abstinence-only funding.