Abstinence Education Grant
On August 22, 1996, President Clinton signed federal welfare reform legislation into law. As part of this legislation, Congress appropriated $50 million per year beginning October 1, 1997, to conduct abstinence education. The legislation states that the purpose of the allotment is to " enable the State to provide abstinence education, and at the option of the State, where appropriate, mentoring, counseling, and adult supervision to promote abstinence from sexual activity with a focus on those groups which are most likely to bear children out-of-wedlock."
The term " abstinence education," as defined by Section 912 of the federal legislation, means an educational or motivational program which:
- has as its exclusive purpose, teaching the social, psychological, and health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity;
- teaches abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage as the expected standard for all school age children;
- teaches that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems;
- teaches that a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the expected standard of human sexual activity;
- teaches that sexual activity outside of the context of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects;
- teaches that bearing children out-of-wedlock is likely to have harmful consequences for the child, the child?s parents, and society;
- teaches young people how to reject sexual advances and how alcohol and drug use increases vulnerability to sexual advances; and
- teaches the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before engaging in sexual activity.
|
