Thought federal funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs was a thing of the past?
Think again.
Last night, the Senate Finance Committee voted 12-11 to pass Hatch Amendment #C30 to restore the $50 million a year funding to Title V abstinence-only programs. All Republicans on the committee (including Snowe from ME) voted for it, as well as 2 Democrats, Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.
Here is the gloating response of the National Abstinence Education Association:
Let me emphasize that last point: it still needs to pass a Senate floor vote.This positive bipartisan vote by the Senate insures that valuable programs teaching teens to make the healthiest choices regarding their sexuality will continue. Committee members courageously put politics aside in favor of the health and well-being of the American families. Tonight's vote is a show of support for valuable and proven abstinence education that has made such a difference in the lives of so many teens, while also supporting parents who soundly endorse such programs. "It is encouraging that the hard work of grassroots constituencies from across the country have prevailed to ensure these common-sense programs will continue, " said Valerie Huber, executive director of NAEA. "While the amendment still needs to pass a Senate floor vote, tonight's decision is a significant step in the right direction for the optimal health of America's youth," she added.We can still stop this amendment if we all let all of our Senators know that this MUST be stripped out of the Baucus healthcare bill.
Click here to urge your Senator to strip the Hatch Amendment out of this bill.
This Title V money has gone (and would continue to go) to abstinence-only groups so that they can lie to students about condoms being ineffective, set up fake “crisis” pregnancy centers that tell women that abortion is unsafe and will give them breast cancer, and actually send a juggling abstinence clown into middle school classrooms to teach them about “sex”.
The abstinence clowns have to go, no matter how much fellow “Blue Dog” clowns like Blanche Lincoln and Kent Conrad try to save their funding.
We’ve come too far and learned too much about the failure of abstinence-only programs to allow this federal funding to continue. ACT NOW.
Write your senators and ask them to vote no! If it does pass I hope the House of Representatives will kill it, and if that doesn't work I hope President Obama will have the courage to veto it.
![[info]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vdI_dsTumcOBGUNpg76e3s8K5vsq64OELzZROfLbXMKUS-_AbOsvbPvieW9EBykGD3yEIh5R2Rf_Xed3m0M3S4iKfR5l1WpK9Pl2EXQJ2ckg=s0-d){kind=small}
