Avoid 'compromised' message in sex education, cardinal says

Published: 2007-05-14

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities urged two congressional committees to maintain current funding levels for abstinence education and said programs that promote "safe sex" and contraception offer young people a "compromised" message. In a May 9 letter to members of the House and Senate Appropriations committees, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia said the more than 500 abstinence programs currently in place in the U.S. "form character and educate our youth about the decisions they face, empowering them to make healthy choices that do not jeopardize their health and future." But for every $1 the federal government spends on abstinence education through the Adolescent Family Life Act, Title V of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 and the Community-Based Abstinence Education Program, it spends $12 on "'safe sex' and contraceptive programs," he said.

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