Democratic Leaders Say They Will Not Reauthorize Title V Abstinence Education Program

Congressional Democratic leaders on Wednesday said they will not reauthorize the Title V abstinence education program, which expires June 30, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports. Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) -- chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over Title V -- said the program has not proven to be effective. Dingell cited a study, commissioned by Congress and conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, that found abstinence-only sex education programs are not effective in preventing or delaying teenagers from having sexual intercourse (Freking, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 5/16).

Title V, administered by HHS' Administration for Children and Families, distributes funds based on a formula favoring states with more low-income children. To receive Title V funds, states must adhere to certain requirements, including barring teachers from discussing contraception and requiring them to say that sex within marriage is "the expected standard of sexual activity." Many state governors have said the grants place too many restrictions on the curricula. California, Maine, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have rejected Title V funds. President Bush has asked Congress to appropriate $191 million for the program for fiscal year 2008, an increase of $28 million from FY 2007 funding levels (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/12).

According to CQ Today, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) in March introduced legislation (HR 1653) that would provide grants to promote "family life education," including programs promoting abstinence and contraception to curb sexually transmitted infections and teen pregnancy.

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Drew Hammil, spokesperson for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), said, "The speaker supports funding for both abstinence and comprehensive sexuality education," adding, "We must get at the root of the problem by reducing unintended pregnancies through sex education and access to contraception."

According to CQ Today, conservative Republicans are in favor of extending the Title V grants. Skip Brown -- spokesperson for Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), who supports abstinence education -- said, "By killing [Title V], Democrats are going against the wishes of most parents" (Allen, CQ Today, 5/15).

Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Program, said Title V provides "a public health message that offers risk-elimination for youth," adding that the decision to stop its funding will cause supporters of the program to work harder to maintain it.

Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), who supported Dingell's decision, said, "With all we know about how to prevent teen pregnancy and reduce sexually transmitted diseases, it is high time to redirect the millions of federal dollars that we squander every year on abstinence-only education to programs that actually work" (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 5/16).

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