Abstinence funding: Some states just say no to federal support

Published: 2008-01-04

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Judith Vogtli, director of ProjecTruth, an abstinence-education program under the auspices of Catholic Charities of Buffalo, N.Y., considers herself "battle-worn" from the constant debate over funding for programs like hers. ProjecTruth, which has been providing abstinence training for school groups for the past seven years, continually makes "one step forward and two steps back" in gaining funding, she said. New York is among more than a dozen states that have rejected federal funds for programs teaching sexual abstinence to teenagers rather than comply with restrictions attached to their use. ProjecTruth was hit hard when the state rejected federal funding for abstinence programs. Vogtli said it had to cut back its community outreach but can stay in operation because it still receives federal funding through community-based grants at least until June. "It's a crime," she told Catholic News Service Jan. 3 of the loss of state funding. "We are constantly under attack." By the end of 2007, the number of states announcing they would not apply for federal funds for abstinence education reached 15.

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