Washington, DC— The Bush administration's investment in abstinence education should reach a record high of about $120 million this year. The funding, which includes $117 million in ongoing programs and about $3.5 million in one-time earmarks to specific programs, is welcomed by proponents of abstinence education.
“This is as high as it's ever been,” said Heritage Foundation analyst Robert Rector.
The goal, he said, remains at least $135 million a year, which would finally put abstinence funding on par with spending for contraceptive education. President Bush tried to reach $135 million by budgeting $73 million for one abstinence grant program. Congress funded it at $55 million instead.
Two veteran abstinence programs — Project Reality, based in Golf, Ill., and the Best Friends Foundation in D.C. — received earmarks of $100,000 and $250,000, respectively. Both will use the money for programs in the District. The other $3.2 million of the one-time grants is going to 31 programs in Pennsylvania.
Abstinence advocates have also been pushing for funding of programs that focus only on abstinence rather than on other issues.
Leslee Unruh, founder of the Abstinence Clearinghouse in Sioux Falls, S.D., said funding should not go to programs that focus little on abstinence due to having other agendas such as dealing with substance abuse.
A program can have those other aspects, she said, “but I want to see 75 percent [of the focus] on abstinence until marriage.” Unruh also was concerned that some faith-based programs might not understand how accepting government funding impacts them. “With the federal dollars comes a huge responsibility to walk that line,” she said. “I'm all for passing out Bibles, but you can't do that with federal money.”
The Silver Ring Thing in Sewickley, Pa., which won a $700,000 grant, teaches abstinence in school assemblies, said founder Denny Pattyn. The program has a secular part and an optional faith-based part. Students who want to commit to abstinence can buy their own silver ring and a Bible for $12, he said.
The new funding, Pattyn added, will be used to take the program to other cities.
The Urban Family Council in Philadelphia, which won $126,000, plans to use its new funds to expand its fatherhood program and teach single fathers the benefits of “saving sex for marriage,” said Betty Jean Wolfe, council president.
The federal government funds abstinence education through three programs and has steadily increased following Bush's election. Its total funding was $80 million in 2001 and $100 million in 2002. Once welfare reform is renewed, 2003 funding should reach $117 million.
(This article courtesy of Steven Ertelt and the Pro-Life Infonet email newsletter. For more information or to subscribe go to www.prolifeinfo.org or email infonet@prolifeinfo.org.)
