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Abstinence Funds Chopped,
Ryan
White Money Upped
by
365Gay.com, June 21, 2007
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Washington -- A controversial
federal program that stresses abstinence outside heterosexual marriage has been
chopped by $28. million.
Previously, under the Republican Congress, the federal government spent about
$50 million annually on abstinence-until-marriage education.
Participating states then provide $3 for every $4 they get from the federal
government. Eight states decline to take part in the grant program.
Critics have repeatedly said they don't believe the programs are working.
In April a Mathematica Policy Research study found that students who
participated in sexual abstinence programs were just as likely to have teen sex
as those who did not.
Critics also have said the programs isolate LGBT youth.
"We urge the Senate to maintain these funding cuts for abstinence education and
instead fund HIV prevention based on science and proven effectiveness,” said
Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.
The bill also provides approximately $31 million in additional funding for the
Ryan White CARE Act, including $25 million for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program.
"The additional funding for the Ryan White CARE Act, while welcomed,
unfortunately does not make up for the years of neglect these programs have been
forced to endure over the past many years,” said Solmonese.
"HIV/AIDS remains a crisis in our nation, especially among communities of color.
Although this is an important first step in turning around the pattern of
funding cuts, we urge the Senate to consider providing an additional increase
for Ryan White so that those on the front lines of the epidemic can meet the
significant need for lifesaving services."
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