Alert: Abstinence Education Funding Extended

As the National Coalition reported a few months ago, Congress was set to determine the fate of federally funded abstinence education programs.

While funding was to expire at the end of June, the House voted to extend Title V two more years, making it part of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill.

Although this seems to be a positive step, changes to Title V have been made which will:

• Expand funding to include comprehensive sex education programs
• Include “medical accuracy” requirements that are hostile to current abstinence education programs
  
• Permit funding only to programs that have measurable success in reducing teen pregnancy and STD rates.
  

Such changes to Title V make it critical for you to contact both your Representatives and Senators today, as negotiations between the House and Senate will take place during August recess regarding the final wording of the bill. Ask them to support abstinence education as it is currently defined!

To help you further understand why this is such an important issue, the National Coalition has produced a booklet in its Cultural Apologetics Series titled Modern Sex Education: The Indoctrination of a Generation.

This short publication outlines the nature of sex education in public schools today that has helped produce the highest teen pregnancy rates in the world and the largest epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases among industrialized nations.

We encourage you to send this booklet to your Representatives with a note respectfully asking them to reauthorize Title V as it currently stands. Please request your copies today!