New York foregoes millions in federal grants for abstinence-only sex education programs
The decision puts New York in line with at least 10 other states that have decided to forgo the federal money in recent years. In a statement, Dr. Daines said: "The Bush administration’s abstinence-only program is an example of a failed national healthcare policy directive." He added that the policy was "based on ideology rather than on sound scientific-based evidence that must be the cornerstone of good public healthcare policy." New York has received roughly $3.5 million a year from the federal government for abstinence-only education since 1998. The state has also spent $2.6 million annually to fund the same programs over the last decade. That money will now be spent on other existing programs for sex education. The announcement came the same day that the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) released a report detailing the number of such programs in the state. The report stated that roughly half of the groups teaching abstinence in the state were religious groups and that the state had done almost nothing to monitor them. Dr. Daines says existing state programs include discussion of abstinence. But he says the state made the decision based on evidence that the abstinence-only program did little to prevent teen pregnancies. He says the state should encourage the teaching of the use of condoms and include discussions of abstinence. The U.S. Congress is expected to take up funding for abstinence-only education at the end of the month. Sex education is not mandated by New York State, which leaves it to individual districts to adopt their own curriculum. Both Dr. Daines and the author of the NYCLU report, Galen Sherwin, cited recent studies, including one by the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO), which concluded that abstinence programs have not proven to be effective and have sometimes taught teens inaccurate medical information about sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.
New York Times By Jennifer Medina
[Editor’s Note: The documents mentioned are below, as are links to resources for school districts from NSBA’s School Health Programs.]
Commissioner statement
NYCLU report
GAO report
NSBA School Health Programs sex education page
NSBA School Health Programs "Teen Pregnancy 101" packet