Abstinence approach gets unlikely ally (a Democrat, David R. Obey, D-Wis.)

In the 1990s, amid a growing culture war over the role of religion and morality in public policy, Republicans used their congressional majorities to crank up funding for programs that encouraged teens to abstain from sex until marriage. But now, though Democrats have taken control of Congress, abstinence-only programs are surviving attempts to shut them down. And they could even get an increase with the aid of an unlikely ally: House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey (D-Wis.), one of the old liberal lions.

"We're expecting funding to be pretty comparable to what it was in the past," said Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Assn. "Those who oppose abstinence education are probably more surprised than I am." Democrats have long criticized the programs, saying they're ineffective in combating teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases because they do not include instruction in the use of condoms.

Expectations that a Democratic-controlled Congress would gut abstinence-only education rose this spring after a major federally funded study concluded that such programs do not appear to have any effect on sexual abstinence among youth, nor on age of sexual initiation or number of sex partners. But the oldest abstinence program won a reprieve last month. And a companion program may get a significant funding increase. The reason: Led by Obey, some Democrats are suddenly protecting the programs.

Obey is supporting abstinence-only education, saying he wants to steer his panel away from the highly charged terrain of moral issues. And by increasing funding for such programs, he is also making a political calculation that he can pick up some Republican support for much bigger health and social welfare programs that the White House wants to cut. However, the Senate could take a different direction.

"In the 1990s, amid a growing culture war over the role of religion and morality in public policy, Republicans used their congressional majorities to crank up funding for programs that encouraged teens to abstain from sex until marriage. But now, though Democrats have taken control of Congress, abstinence-only programs are surviving attempts to shut them down."

Oh, so in other words, Democrat policy is to ensure children aren't given ANY moral guidance at at all.
Democrats are opposed to kids developing a moral conscious, therefore any program that even hints at morality is fiercely opposed by Democrats, but unfortunately, (according to this "journalist") the democrats haven't been very successful in their fight to remove all such teaching of moral standards, personal responsibility, and self respect.

Sexual activity among our youth in the Democrat opinion, is a casual sport, or a casual social activity that children should participate in without inhibition, just like playing a game of hop scotch, or kicking a soccer ball around with your pals after school.

Responsibility for the "side effects" of sexual activity, like pregnancy, social diseases, DEATH, destroying their entire youth, and lives for that matter, and the child they are stuck raising, is of no concern. It's the taxpayers problem afterwards, right?

Liberalism is a terrible disease, worse than aids. There is hope for a cure however. Like aids, Liberalism can be stopped simply by practicing abstinence.

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