Reclaiming Our Future - Black Youth Project

Silencing the Teachers 41comprehensive sex education they may notbe receiving all the information they needto facilitate both their physical and sexualhealth. This means that Black youth—whoare more likely to be poor, more likely to beincarcerated, more likely to engage in sex atan early are—may not have access to “true”comprehensive sex education, which canprovide them with the information and skillsthey will need to navigate their sexual lives.Changing FederalPrioritiesThe federal government’s support for abstinence-onlyeducation began, in 1981, withthe Adolescent Family Life Act. The controversialprogram was the source of significantlegal wrangling and remained relativelymodest in scope until 1996. Then, underthe Clinton administration and through theAb EdAbstinence-only education is fundedthrough three federal programs:money budgeted annually under the1996 welfare reform law, which was mostrecently renewed in 2004; the AdolescentFamily Life Act (AFLA), which was firstpassed in 1981; and direct grants from theDepartment of Health and Human Services(HHS). Under the Bush Administration,the annual abstinence budget has morethan doubled, driven almost entirely bygrants from HHS.controversial Personal Responsibility andWork Opportunity Reconciliation Act, or“welfare reform,” Congress set aside $250million over five years for state-initiatedabstinence programs. That initiative wasreauthorized in 2004.In 2001, the Bush administration dramaticallyexpanded these fledgling efforts byestablishing the Special Program of Regionaland National Significance—Community-Based Abstinence Education, or SPRANS.This is now the federal government’s largestand fastest growing abstinence-only educationinitiative, operating through directgrants from the Department of Health andHuman Services to abstinence-only programsaround the country. In 2004, SPRANS had abudget of $75 million. 9 In 2005, it is expectedthat the government will spend nearly $170million on abstinence-only programs.All told, in the last five years almost $1billion has been allotted to abstinence-onlyprograms. 10 Given such financial support bythe Bush administration, it is not surprisingthat abstinence-only sex education programsare now estimated to reach “millions of childrenand adolescents.” 11These programs are rapidly evolvingand expanding. They feature innovativeapproaches designed to create in-groupsdefined by the members’ willingness to delaysexual activity. Students wear “purity rings”and declare themselves “secondary virgins,”or young people who have been sexually activein the past but now commit to abstinenceuntil marriage. 12 One study found that about16 percent of all American teenagers havetaken a public pledge to abstain from sex untilmarriage. And while there are numerousabstinence programs, with different emblems,slogans and practices, they all stress that sexafter marriage is the best way to protect oneselfagainst pregnancy, disease, and shame.Certainly, efforts to change social normsand make it cool-to-be-a-virgin are welcome.The question remains, are they sufficient?«