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Article: Abstinence education debated
- Article from:
- St. Joseph News-Press
- Article date:
- June 19, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2002 St. Joseph News-Press. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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WASHINGTON - Is sexual abstinence education worth the money spent
on it?
That debate has resumed with President Bush's proposal to boost
next year's funding for sexual abstinence education by 33 percent set
to come before Congress this summer.
"Abstinence is the surest way and the only completely effective
way to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted
diseases," the president said in a February speech. "Government
should not sell children short by assuming they are incapable of
acting responsibly."
Each year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
estimates 900,000 girls between ages 15 and 19 get pregnant, and the
teen pregnancy rate is higher in the United States ...