$270 million for Abstinence-only education

Those abstinence-only sex education programs that were proven ineffective recently are being rewarded for failure with twice as much funding. The Presidents budget plan is proposing $270 million, more than twice the $130 million that they currently receive.

"Responsible Choices. The consequences of teenage sexual activity and non-marital childbearing are many and serious for teens, their families, their communities, and society. Over three-fifths of teen mothers live in poverty at the time of their child's birth, and over four-fifths eventually live below poverty. There are substantial disparities in the educational attainment of teen mothers compared to young women who delay sexual activity. Equally important are the physical consequences. Each year, there are 15 million new sexually transmitted disease cases in the United States and one-quarter of them are teenagers.

Abstinence Education grants provide support to communities and States to develop, implement, and evaluate programs for 12 to 18 year olds that promote abstinence and encourage youth to make responsible and healthy choices. In addition, grants financed through these activities also advance parent education and outreach, media campaigns, and research related to abstinence education.

To further the commitment to these activities, to ensure teens have a forum where they can be supported in their decision to abstain, and to provide parents with the tools they need to talk to their children about responsible choices, the Budget doubles the President's financial commitment to $270 million."

Responsible Choices? The President has made the irresponsible choice to fund a program that could lead to more abortions.