MCC Alert on Abstinence Funding

May 21, 2007

Massachusetts Catholic Conference

http://www.macathconf.org

Abstinence Funding Now Before the Senate

Thanks for your efforts over the past month urging state legislators to authorize the use of federal abstinence education funds in the state budget.  Here’s an update, and another request for your help.

Your efforts have been successful to date—the budget passed by the House earlier this month included the abstinence funding, and the budget proposed in the Senate by the Senate Ways & Means Committee and set for debate this week also includes the funding.  There will be an amendment offered on the floor of the Senate as early as this coming Wednesday to remove the abstinence funding from the proposed Senate budget.  Senate amendment 686, filed by Senators Resor, Spilke, Creem, Jehlen, Fargo, Augustus, Timilty, Tisei, and O’Leary, seeks to strike out line item 4513-9084 because it authorizes the federal abstinence funds, as well as to knock out language in line item 4510-0100 that requires the federal funds to be used “only in conjunction with the teaching of comprehensive sexuality education” as opposed to television commercials or other non-classroom purposes. 

If the amendment seeking to remove the abstinence funding from the budget is defeated in the Senate, and the line items in the Senate budget are kept intact, then the House and Senate versions will agree, and the abstinence funding issue will go before Governor Deval Patrick.  The Governor and Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray have stated that they oppose the funding.

Two actions are required.

First, please call your state senator by Wednesday, urging him or her to oppose budget amendment 686, and to keep line items 4513-9084 and 4510-100 intact in the Senate budget in support of the federal abstinence grant.  The general number for Senators is 617-722-2000 (ask to be forwarded to your Senator’s office) and a list of all Senators with their emails and direct phone numbers is online at MA Senators.

Second, please make another call to the Governor and Lieutenant Governor’s Office at 617-725-4000 and tell them that you disagree with the position of Governor Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Murray on this important issue.  Emails can be sent online at MA Governor.

Key Points:

• The Department of Public Health funded Health Futures Abstinence Program ("HFAP") uses medically accurate information to teach middle school students the importance of avoiding early sexual activity. Research has shown that abstinence education changes behavior and delays the onset of sexual activity.

• The program will cost the state nothing since it is fully funded by the federal grant.

• The program is optional and available to school districts across Massachusetts. During the 2006-2007 school year, over 7,000 students benefited from the program.

• The program is designed to augment a school's sex education program, and in fact, these abstinence education funds are required under Massachusetts state law to "be used only in conjunction with the teaching of comprehensive sexuality education."

Links to More Background Information:

·           Talking Points on Federal Abstinence Funding - CLICK HERE (PDF)

·           Teen Pregnancy Survey - CLICK HERE (PDF)

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