(crossposted at Amplify )
Details have just been released on the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill , and I must say that it is disappointing news.
Despite the Senate Finance Committee’s recommendation for the House of Representatives to cut $28 million in funding for abstinence-only until marriage initiatives, the bill only cuts $14 million, leaving $94 million for these failed programs for the rest of the fiscal year.
This is despite President Obama’s public statements supporting comprehensive sex education, and his promise in the inaugural address to stop funding programs that don’t work. This is despite House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s public statement at Netroots Nation last year pledging to redirect abstinence-only funding.
The fact that the Democratic House leadership went exactly halfway towards the Senate’s recommendation is also alarming. Is this a sign that Barack Obama and the Democratic leadership are willing to meet halfway towards the social conservatives’ abstinence-only agenda, despite the overwhelming evidence of its failure, the desperate need to cut funding in the budget, and a strong Democratic majority in the House and Senate?
We certainly hope not, because Obama’s next test is currently underway. His administration is currently drafting their budget for the 2010 fiscal year, and this is Obama’s opportunity to walk the walk when it comes to his public statements on sex education.
We have already wasted $1.5 billion dollars on abstinence-only until marriage funding, and we are long past the time where this funding is, once and for all, zeroed out. Supporters of comprehensive sex education have already sent several thousand letters to Obama to zero out this funding, but we urgently need to send him more so he gets the message loud and clear.
Send this letter to President Obama, asking him to ZERO OUT funding for abstinence-only until marriage sex education in his 2010 fiscal budget.
The sexual health of young people is way to important to continue to leave it in the hands of these failed programs of the social conservative fringe. Abstinence Clowns and these horrifically misleading and harmful programs need go. Please let him know!!!
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I can't wait to leave this country. lol. This is pretty bad.
What?????? NOOOOO someone please end the Ab-only madness.
Yeh, jeez, it's not like you could just close your legs or anything. Can you believe some people actually believe in the sanctity of marriage and stuff still? I mean, aren't we living in 2009?? This is supposed to be the era of "do what you want with no consequences" isn't it?? At least they also left in lots of welfare growth so we can keep paying for all these kids who pop out babies to, you know, be cool and do the 'right thing' by being massively promiscuous all the time. Stupid Congress, trying to show a little support for family values.
Adorable little troll!
Is it really clear that "abstinence education" in this context refers to rejecting comprehensive sex ed entirely, or to abstinence programs that are supplementary to curriculums that teach students about contraception? The latter, from what I gather, is not uncommon, although even these programs are being rejected by some school districts on the grounds of their state's law against "abstinence only" education. There is also some sign that recent abstinence programs have been more effective than the earlier programs, though data on the subject is still somewhat sparse.
Ryan T. Anderson has an article at First Things detailing the subject.
I know there are some serious lacunae in the curricula I experienced: I graduated high school without knowing the proper way to put on a condom. Shame on those schools.