Latest In

Breaking News

Another Year for Abstinence-Only Education Funding?

Jul 31, 2020
499.9K Shares
7M Views
Tucked into a Medicare spending bill that passed the House yesterday is a provision that would extend a controversial abstinence-only education program for another year. It’s so controversial that 22 states have actually opted out of taking the funding. Two more states have said they plan to decline the funds when the new fiscal year begins in October. The AP reports:
Abstinence-only education has taken plenty of heat. A 2007 report from the Dept. of Health and Human Services-funded, independent Mathematica Policy Research Groupfound that such programs had "no effect on the sexual abstinence of youth." Nonetheless, the push for such programs lives on.
In April, TWI reporter Matthew Blake covered a hearing where the House oversight committee took a look at the issue. Matt notedat the time:
The hearing showed that social conservatives continue to shape the public debate on [abstinence-only education]. Abstinence-only education, one plank of Newt Gingrich’s 1994 "Contract With America," is now a big part of the Bush administration’s public-health agenda, receiving $1.3 billion since 1997. Despite the current calls to end funding, the conservatives who framed the abstinence-only policy have created a formidable obstacle for opponents to overcome.
The Senate still needs to pass its own version of Medicare’s funding bill before we’ll know if this has a chance of making it another year.
Paolo Reyna

Paolo Reyna

Reviewer
Paolo Reyna is a writer and storyteller with a wide range of interests. He graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies. Paolo enjoys writing about celebrity culture, gaming, visual arts, and events. He has a keen eye for trends in popular culture and an enthusiasm for exploring new ideas. Paolo's writing aims to inform and entertain while providing fresh perspectives on the topics that interest him most. In his free time, he loves to travel, watch films, read books, and socialize with friends.
Latest Articles
Popular Articles