Millions of federal dollars are offered to states to fund abstinence education, but nearly half of the country has turned down the funding.
Twenty-two states have opted out of Title V abstinence-education funding, and Arizona and Iowa plan to decline their share of the $50 million at the start of the fiscal year, The Associated Press reported. Participation in the abstinence program is down 40 percent over two years.
Valerie Huber, president of the National Abstinence Education Association, said the nation's No. 1 abortion provider is to thank.
“This whole effort is being orchestrated by Planned Parenthood, (which has) a national campaign to convince governors to turn back Title V abstinence education funding,” she said. “What they’re doing is locating liberal governors who’ll say, 'We don’t want these funds based on their ideological bent rather than on a message that would be in the best interest of the youth.' ”
As more states refuse the funding, Congress is likely to put an end to the program, said Linda Klepacki, sexual health analyst for Focus on the Family Action.
“It’s important to understand that the debate is really not about what type of sexuality education works,” she said. “The debate is about whether teens should be sexually active."
Klepacki said abstinence education is the healthiest form of sex education.
“We’ve seen a very significant decline in students who are having sexual intercourse,” she said, “and in students who are becoming pregnant.”
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