U.S. Rep. DeGette Hails Plan to Eliminate Abstinence-Only Education

Press Release

U.S. Rep. DeGette Hails Plan to Eliminate Abstinence-Only Education

Today, Chief Deputy Whip Diana DeGette (D-CO) applauded the decision by the Committee on Energy and Commerce to eliminate $50 million per year for abstinence-only programs.

"As Vice-Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, I have worked diligently to convince my colleagues that we should eliminate funding abstinence-only education. I am pleased that Chairman Dingell agrees with me on this issue," said Rep. DeGette.

Title V authorizes $50 million per year in Federal grants to states for abstinence-only education programs. The decision by the Committee on Energy and Commerce not to reauthorize the programs by the end of June effectively strips all mandatory federal funding for abstinence only education.

"There is no evidence abstinence-only education works," said Rep. DeGette. "In fact, a congressionally mandated study released in April by Mathematica Policy Research, shows the programs have no impact on sexual behavior at all."

US Rep. DeGette has authored HR 819, "Prevention First Act," with Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY), which redirects Federal efforts and taxpayer dollars away from abstinence-only education into medically accurate sex and abstinence education.

"The vast majority of the American people support teaching responsible sex education. 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."

Source