A Promiscuous Society

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats say they will pull the plug on abstinence-only sex education when a $50 million grant expires on June 30, a move sparking outrage among social conservative groups. Democrats would still include money for abstinence teachings in schools, but would combine it with comprehensive sex-ed programs that would teach about birth control and other safe sex methods. States currently pay for abstinence-only education in public schools by matching $3 for every $4 they receive from the federal government. Congress initially approved the Title V funding as part of welfare reform.

Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Wednesday that the decision to stop funding for the program wasn't difficult at all. "Abstinence-only education seems to be a colossal failure," Dingell said, according to the Associated Press. Dingell backed that statement with a recent study by Mathematica Policy Research Inc. that showed students in four abstinence-only education programs were equally likely to have sex at the same age as those not in abstinence programs. "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," said Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo.

• JJ Commentary: No program to reduce teenage sexuality will work within a culture that glorifies sexuality by promoting it in heavily in movies, TV, magazines, advertisements, et. al. We need to change the cultural mindset first before such programs would have any tangible result.