Congress Restores Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funding

Congress inserted and approved $250 million in Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage funding with the passage of health care reform last week. While health reform will provide sweeping, much-needed changes to our health care system, reauthorization of Title V money is a major concern.

For nearly 13 years, the Title V program poured hundreds of millions of dollars into states for ideologically-driven abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, requiring states to match grants with some of their own funds. The funding stream was used solely for teaching abstinence until marriage to the exclusion of other sexual health topics.

But nearly half of all states ended up rejecting this funding, citing wasteful spending on ineffective and dangerous programs. Illinois was not among those states as the Illinois Department of Human Services continued accepting and administering the federal money.

Last year, Obama eliminated all funding—including Title V—for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in the federal budget. But earlier in the health care debate, the Senate Finance Committee approved an amendment, offered by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), to the health care reform bill to reinstate $50 million per year for five years to the failed Title V program.

We'll keep you informed on how we can convince Governor Quinn to keep these downright harmful funds out of our state. For now, please send a message to your members of Congress to express your disappointment in the restoration of abstinence-only-until-marriage funding.