Congressional Measure Would Promote Marriage

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Congressional Measure Would Promote Marriage

Special Report - September 16, 2011
A bill has been introduced in the United States House that would reauthorize some of the federal funding for abstinence education that was eliminated from the most recent federal budget for 2012. The measure, HB 2874-“Abstinence Education Reallocation Act of 2011,” which is sponsored by Representative Randy Hulgren (R-IL), and was introduced September 8, currently has no co-sponsors. It would “authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to award grants on a competitive basis to public and private entities to provide qualified sexual risk avoidance education to youth and their parents.”

Even though there is some federal funding for abstinence education available to the states until 2014 through the Title V block grant, the 2012 federal budget does not include any funding for abstinence education. According to the National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA), HB 2874 would restore some funding priority to abstinence education in the federal budget. Specifically, it would allocate $110,000,000 for FY 2012-2016 to be used for qualified abstinence education programs, with the funding derived from the Prevention and Public Health Fund established by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

HB 2874 specifies that the sex education programs must include the teaching of a number of components related to abstinence, including:

“The holistic health, economic, and societal benefits that can be gained by refraining from nonmarital sexual activity, through teaching practical skills that promote self-regulation, goal setting, and a focus on the future;
The clear advantage of reserving human sexual activity for marriage, as a key contributing factor in the prevention of poverty and the preservation of physical and emotional health, based on social science research.
The foundational components of a healthy relationship and related research regarding the individual, economic, and societal advantages of bearing children within the context of a committed marital relationship in order to form healthy marriages and safe and stable families.
A focused priority on the superior health benefits of sexual abstinence, ensuring that any information provided on contraception does not exaggerate its effectiveness in preventing sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancies.”

“[T]his bill is a welcome sign that sexual risk avoidance can once again be the primary prevention message that youth will receive in classrooms across America,” stated Valerie Huber, Executive Director of the NAEA. “NAEA applauds the leadership of Rep. Hultgren. We encourage other Members of Congress to co-sponsor the ‘Abstinence Education Reallocation Act of 2011’ and urge the House to quickly approve the federal sex education policy change called for in this bill.”

Related resources:
NC To Receive Abstinence Funds - October 1, 2010
NC Requests Abstinence Funds - September 27, 2010
NC Sex Education Requirements - August 16, 2010
Abstinence Funds Available - August 3, 2010
Abstinence Funding Returns - May 28, 2010
Some Abstinence Funding Restored - March 30, 2010
Controversial Curriculum Changes - February 8, 2010
The Healthy Youth Act: What It Means For Sex Education - FNC Oct/Nov 2009
New Sex Ed Law Implementation Underway - September 3, 2009