Louisiana: Abstinence Program Chief Testifies in ACLU Suit

The chief of Gov. Mike Foster's program to promote sexual abstinence among Louisiana's adolescents testified in federal court on Tuesday that some nonprofit contractors the program once employed mentioned religion in their materials, though they had been told that health, not religion, should be their focus.

Dan Richey testified in a hearing on a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. It claims that the state's five-year abstinence program, which is funded by Welfare Reform Act money, has violated the US Constitution by funneling taxpayer money to groups that used the funds to promote religion.

According to paperwork the ACLU filed in the case, 15 of 46 community-based contracts issued by the abstinence program have gone to recipients whose proposals and reports show misuse of the money by promoting religion in the curriculum.

ACLU lawyer Philip Gallagher's questions at the hearing focused on one contractor's program titled "Six Week Chaste Program: God's Gift of Love;" another contractor's reports mentioning "Bible-based reasons for abstinence;" and a Christmas event in which "We were able to focus on the Virgin Birth." One grant application included a proposal to buy Bibles, but Richey said state officials made it clear the group could not take that step.

Richey said he never took action against any contractor for religious references, and he never refused to approve a contractor's monthly report out of concern for religious content. He denied, however, that he knowingly allowed contractors to promote religion. When the state did find a religious promotion, "we remedied it," he said, admitting that if something slipped through the cracks, the state "should have been, obviously, more diligent."

Outside the courthouse, ACLU Director Joe Cook said that despite the state's claim that the abstinence program does not promote religion an injunction is still necessary. "They went after the religious right wing in this case to do the consulting. There is no reason to believe they will move away from that unless they are monitored," Cook said.

Back to other CDC news for June 19, 2002

Previous Updates