Last evening I caught a small portion of the Rachel Maddow Show. Dr. Maddow said that abstinence programs have received millions and millions of dollars from the federal government in the form of grants. By law, the abstinence programs must set aside 15% of their funding to assess and report the results of their programs. Unfortunately, these church-based programs are not doing it, and they know that the Bush administration will not force them to report their results.
What do these abstinence programs teach? Maddow pointed out that they DON'T teach about birth control or how to prevent STDs (sexually transmitted diseases). However, they do teach one thing----- don't have sex.
Seriously, these programs are doing nothing to prevent teenage pregnancies. They are, however, providing money and training to right wing conservatives and their religious organizations. As Maddow pointed out, by giving them federal grants, the Bush administration is providing training on how to get those grants and how to keep them.
While people like Ted Haggard and others line their pockets with federal money, other programs have lost funding. It is time that we start to ask questions about these programs. Write to your Democratic Senator and Congress Member and express your concerns.
