If Republicans are really the strong opponents of governments using taxpayers’ money in a wasteful manner as they claim to be, you would expect them to be oppose a program from the federal government which experts have proven to be worthless. This has not been the case, as the Bush administration has continued to back abstinence education programs despite considerable evidence that they are ineffective. Fortunately many state governments are more sensible than the Bush administration and are now turning down funds for the programs. AP reports that about half the states are now opting out:
The funding stream became inconsistent. We didn’t know from one quarter to the next whether we’d be getting the rest of the money,” said Elke Shaw-Tulloch of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. “We got to the point where we didn’t have any infrastructure to put the money to use. At the same time, there was mounting evidence the abstinence programs weren’t proving to be effective.”
Throw in a rising pregnancy rate among 15-19 year-olds in Idaho — 2,543 pregnancies in 2006 compared with 2,396 in 2004 — and state officials decided last summer it was time to get out.
This should be high on the list of remnants of the Bush administration for the Democrats to eliminate.
