Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Washington Post (12.16.07) - Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Rob Stein
At least 14 states have notified Washington that they will no longer apply for the funds. In 2000, California became the first state to drop out of the abstinence-only effort, which was launched as part of welfare reform in 1996. Maine followed suit in 2005. The latest state to forego the funds is Virginia. Ohio and Washington have stipulated that they will use the money to support comprehensive sex education, which makes them ineligible to receive it, federal officials say.
The move to reject federal abstinence-only dollars has drawn strong reactions:
*William Smith of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US said he hopes Congress gets the message that "states need to be able to craft a program that is the best fit for their young people and that is not dictated by Washington ideologues."
*"How can [Congress] ignore so many states slapping a return- to-sender label on this funding?" asked John Wagoner of Advocates for Youth.
*"My greatest concern about states dropping out is that these are valuable services and programs," said Stan Koustaal of the Department of Health and Human Services, which runs the program. "It's the youths in these states who are missing out."
*"We're talking about the health of millions of youth across the United States," said Valerie Huber of the National Abstinence Education Association. "We know abstinence education offers the best for them. Now is the time to put more emphasis on that message, not less."
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