Abstinence Education Funding Extended

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Abstinence Education Funding Extended

Special Report - October 1, 2007
In a victory for abstinence education advocates, President Bush signed legislation into law over the weekend that extends, until December 31, 2007, the federal government’s Title V Abstinence Education Program. The bill, H.R. 3668, passed the U.S. House on September 26 by a voice vote and the Senate the following day by unanimous consent. The program is authorized under section 510 of Title V of the Social Security Act and allocates $50 million a year nationwide for abstinence until marriage education in public schools. Individual states can apply for the funds or choose to opt out. North Carolina currently receives approximately $1.24 million from the Title V program annually. Among other conditions, the program requires states to teach “that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy” and that “a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the expected standard of human sexual activity.” In addition to extending federal abstinence education funding, H.R. 3668 reauthorizes two other medical assistance programs.

Like this bill, a similar measure authorizing a three-month extension of the Title V funding was approved by Congress in July, but both extensions do not guarantee federal abstinence education dollars will remain available in the future. Securing these extensions of the program from Congress has been an ongoing challenge for abstinence education proponents. Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association, commended passage of the bill but added that the short-term extension makes implementing the program difficult for state governments. “Abstinence Education providers need sustained funding for a minimum of one year in order to assure a dependable and consistent operation of their programs,” Huber said.