Federal Funding for Abstinence Education to Lapse
Tuesday,May, 29 ,2007 Filed in: I-CAN
As you may know, a major federal program funding abstinence education for teenagers will expire at the end of June unless Congress acts to extend it. Leading congressional Democrats say they intend to let the program lapse. This program, created by the federal welfare reform legislation of 1996, provides $50 million of the approximately $170 million that the federal government spends annually on programs to educate young people in abstaining from sexual activity before marriage.
Cardinal Rigali as chairman of the USCCB Committee for Pro-Life Activities wrote to two key House committees on May 8, urging them to retain the program. Yesterday this letter was sent, without significant change, to the full House and Senate (see attached). It is worth noting that while we have always supported this abstinence program when lobbying Congress on welfare reform, these are the first USCCB letters to Congress dealing solely with abstinence education; this is also the first Congress in many years to place abstinence programs in serious danger.
Some have asked whether they should contact their own elected representatives to support Cardinal Rigali's message. I encourage you to do so, if your own organizational structure gives you jurisdiction over this issue. In some dioceses, activity on abstinence education may fall instead to family life, natural family planning office, or education; if so I encourage you to share this memo and Cardinal Rigali's letter with those offices. As you communicate with members of Congress, the message is this: Please reauthorize the abstinence education program in Title V of the Social Security Act. This message is especially needed for members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the program (see list of members at http://energycommerce.house.gov/membios/110fullmship.shtml). It would be helpful to remind members of good abstinence education programs in their own state that may lose funding. You can find out about programs in your state by contacting the state abstinence education coordinator, located using this web site: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/youthdivision/programs/locate.htm. A list of state coordinators is also attached to this memo. Please also feel free to share with me any information about Catholic-run programs in your state that risk losing funds.
Unfortunately, it seems likely that the House will do nothing to extend this program, but let it expire automatically on June 30. But it is important to let our voice be heard. Prospects may be somewhat better in the Senate, particularly its Finance Committee, and if you have a Senator on that committee you may hear from us soon.
If you need more information on abstinence education and related legislation, I recommend the materials cited in Cardinal Rigali's letter; good material is also available from the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth (www.ncfy.com/ae/index.htm), Abstinence Clearinghouse (www.abstinence.net), National Abstinence Education Association (http://abstinenceassociation.org/), and Healthy Respect (www.healthrespect.org).
Some have asked whether they should contact their own elected representatives to support Cardinal Rigali's message. I encourage you to do so, if your own organizational structure gives you jurisdiction over this issue. In some dioceses, activity on abstinence education may fall instead to family life, natural family planning office, or education; if so I encourage you to share this memo and Cardinal Rigali's letter with those offices. As you communicate with members of Congress, the message is this: Please reauthorize the abstinence education program in Title V of the Social Security Act. This message is especially needed for members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the program (see list of members at http://energycommerce.house.gov/membios/110fullmship.shtml). It would be helpful to remind members of good abstinence education programs in their own state that may lose funding. You can find out about programs in your state by contacting the state abstinence education coordinator, located using this web site: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/youthdivision/programs/locate.htm. A list of state coordinators is also attached to this memo. Please also feel free to share with me any information about Catholic-run programs in your state that risk losing funds.
Unfortunately, it seems likely that the House will do nothing to extend this program, but let it expire automatically on June 30. But it is important to let our voice be heard. Prospects may be somewhat better in the Senate, particularly its Finance Committee, and if you have a Senator on that committee you may hear from us soon.
If you need more information on abstinence education and related legislation, I recommend the materials cited in Cardinal Rigali's letter; good material is also available from the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth (www.ncfy.com/ae/index.htm), Abstinence Clearinghouse (www.abstinence.net), National Abstinence Education Association (http://abstinenceassociation.org/), and Healthy Respect (www.healthrespect.org).