Bill would end abstinence-only sexual education

In this photo taken Sept. 10, 2010, sex education teacher Shayna Knowles, center, talks to students during class at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Lake Worth, Fla.

/ AP Photo

A pair of Democrats introduced legislation in the House and Senate Tuesday to cut off funding for abstinence-only sexual education, which they said had wasted more than $1.5 billion over the last 15 years.

"Abstinence-only education doesn't work and is a poor use of federal funding," said Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), who sponsored the bill in the Senate. "Our nation's young adults deserve access to information that helps them take on real life situations and make smart decisions."

"We need to get serious about educating our young people about sex," added Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), the House sponsor. "Abstinence-only programs fail to address the challenge of unplanned pregnancies and sexually-transmitted infections among our youth, which have reached a critical level."

The bill, known as the Repealing Ineffective and Incomplete Abstinence-Only Program Funding Act, would redirect $50 million spent annually on abstinence-only sexual education to "evidence-based, comprehensive sex education programs," according to a release from Lautenberg. The release cites as evidence that abstinence education doesn't work the relatively high teen pregnancy rate in the United States as well as the HIV infection rate among those under the age of 29.

A national study authorized by Congress and released in 2007 concluded that abstinence-only sexual education, which had been supported by the administration of President George W. Bush, did not keep teenagers from having sex.

But last year, a different study found that abstinence-only education helped delay the sexual initiation of some middle-school students.

As a candidate, then-Sen. Barack Obama opposed funding for abstinence-only programs, arguing that "we should also support comprehensive and age-appropriate sex education." His 2010 budget proposal ended funding for abstinence-only education.

As the Washington Post reported last March, however, a little-discussed provision in the health care overhaul legislation directed $250 million over five years for abstinence-only programs.

The bill introduced Tuesday, which has seven cosponsors in the Senate and 20 cosponsors in the House, comes as Republicans work to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides reproductive health care, including abortions. The House voted last month to eliminate funding for the group, and social conservatives have been pushing Republicans to ensure that it does not receive federal funding in the budget now being hashed out in Congress.

[KayceM18]

Abstinence Only Education was a Dub,and Im glad they came to their senses that its wasting money

[prakigam]

$50 million a year for abstinence-only sex ed courses? Why one earth does it cost $50 million a year to tell kids not to have sex?

[cabaraoke]

The reason Abstinence-Only Education is a failure is because the boys are not given the whole story, and warnings.
http://dads-house.org/SexEducation

[jessytell]

One must ask the obvious, why is it the business of schools to teach any sex education at all? Health class yes, Science yes in terms of how things work and how to keep them from working but beyond that? We live in a pretty messed up society is children are learning about sex at school and not from their parents.

[cabaraoke]

Because the boys are not given the whole story, and warnings.
http://dads-house.org/SexEducation

[jessytell]

This may be the only time that I have a greed with a democrat but then again most republicans feel the same way and independents so how did this ever get passed in the first place.?
Do not say because the right wing this or that because we have seen how stupid and crazy and useless the left wing has been in the last 4 years as well. The real question is where are the sane people in Washington? Do they not exist anymore?

[Calendular]

Outrageous in my opinion that any political representative would be so arrogant as to seek to impose his or her personal viewpoint that abstinence is ineffective upon the children of other people.

[CarloCaraluzzo]

wait a minute. It cost 100 million dollars every year for 15 years just to tell kids not to have sex? This is what happens when we pander to the less mentally stable in our society. Anyone who thinks telling teenagers not to have has got to be delusional. What you can do is teach them that having unprotected sex can be dangerous, even deadly. Kids might be ***** little demons, driven by a wash of hormones, but they are not stupid. In fact they are much, much smarter than than were even a generation ago.
Bush introduced this program as political candy to the fundalmentalist right wing that put him, his father and Reagan into office. Office of "faith based" programs was too. Big George paid off a great number of special favors during his presidency. This is just another instance of him buying votes with taxpayers money.
Now when the democrats repeal this, or defund it, they will be accused of trying to "destroy the family" or "encourage teen age sex" by the same people who are yelling about waste in the budget. Why does federal money have to be spent for this? The same Republicans who passed this nonsense for Bush are the same ones who are always harking about federal government interference in our schools and what we teach our children. Next time one of then starts that lying crap, point out the abstinance only bill they passed.

[meboard]

Here we go again...trying to deal with the real world. Its just so messy!

[pr_boxer]

Its been a long time since I was a teenager, but not so long that I've forgotten how I thought. If I'd had a class that taught abstinence, I'd have thought "are you guys kidding me? I'm going to get all I can", fortunately that wasn't much, but it wasn't my fault.

[retiredgustav]

Well said!