By Hilary White
WASHINGTON, July 16, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The US House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to sustain funding for abstinence-only education for another three months, to complete the fiscal year. The bill, passed by the Senate last month, will now move to the White House for the presidential signature.
The abstinence education program was threatened in May when Democrats, citing a single study, claimed that abstinence-only education was failing to prevent teenage sexual activity.
Abstinence-only education continues to be a favourite Democrat target. President Bush’s nominee for Surgeon General, James Holsinger was grilled in hearings last week by Patty Murray (D-Washington) on his support for abstinence education, his positions on condom usage among youth, and the use of the morning after pill, Plan B.
President Bush first introduced funding for abstinence education in schools in 2002. In 2004, he doubled the funding following positive reports of the program. In June 2006, he responded to a group of 19 women members of Congress who were accusing him of a right wing conspiracy against women’s “reproductive rights” and engaging in a “war on contraception,” saying through a spokesman, “This administration strongly supports teaching abstinence to young people as the only 100 percent effective means of preventing pregnancy, HIV, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).”
The Christian Post quoted Linda Klepacki, analyst for sexual health at Focus on the Family Action, expressing concern for the future of the funding, saying, “We applaud the extension of Title V state abstinence-education funding… but, we look forward to the day that Congress will reauthorize Title V state abstinence-education funding in order to protect our children.”