Washington, DC, Jan. 20 (Culture of Life Foundation/CWNews.com) - The
financial balance sheet between abstinence and safe-sex programs within the
United States has been little known, but many assume that the money spent
between the two approaches is equitable. According to new report published by
the Heritage Foundation, however, the United States government spends "$12
to promote contraception for every dollar spent to encourage abstinence."
According to the report, which was based on information up until 2002, combined
"federal and state governments spent an estimated $1.73 billion" on
safe-sex and contraception programs through, among other programs, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention and Medicaid with "more than a third of
that money ($653 million)... spent specifically to fund contraceptive programs
for teens." In contrast to the enormous sums funneled into condoms,
contraception, and other programs, abstinence programs "received only an
estimated $144.1 million." Some programs show an even greater imbalance
than 12 to 1. For instance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
allocates only 5 percent of its budget towards abstinence. At the state level,
Heritage says "estimates assume that 10 percent of the pregnancy funds went
to abstinence programs, while 90 percent was used to support
contraceptive-oriented programs and services." Unfortunately, with these
disparities in funding, few teens will "receive a clear message about the
harmful effects of early sexual activity; few are taught that society expects
teens to delay sexual activity. Instead, most safe-sex/comprehensive sex-ed
programs send the clear, if implicit message that society expects and condones
teen sexual activity."
Regardless, the Heritage Foundation study points out that even with the large
amount of funds being spent on sexual education classes and contraception
options, "strong efforts exist to further expand contraceptive funding and
to reduce or eliminate funding for abstinence." Indeed, according to a
publication by the Planned Parenthood Federation (PPF) which included criticism
of congressional funding of abstinence programs, an increase in abstinence
education funding would have a "censorial and chilling effect" because
"in abstinence-only classes instructors force-feed students religious
ideology."
As a result, PPF argues, "abstinence-only sexuality education doesn't work.
There is little evidence that teens that participate in abstinence-only programs
abstain from intercourse longer than others. When they do become sexually
active, though, they often fail to use condoms or other contraceptives.
Meanwhile, students in comprehensive sexuality education classes do not engage
in sexual activity more often or earlier, but do use contraception and practice
safer sex more consistently when they become sexually active."
This is in direct conflict with recent reports by medical experts and various
studies of the success of abstinence programs in multiple countries, including
Uganda, which saw a 75 percent drop in HIV prevalence after a decade of
abstinence promotion. In another study, according to Dr. Norman Hearst of the
University of California-San Francisco, groups that heard the safe-sex message
had increased numbers of sexual partners and sexual activity while the opposite
was the case in the study's control group. Finally, the PPF statement as well as
efforts to expand funding do not account for the disparities between the
expected results of safe sex message and unfortunate trends, including increased
rates of depression, suicide, STDs, and abortion in the United States due to
early onset of sexual activity.