New Mexico: Abstinence Funds Redirected

On Wednesday, Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) Superintendent Beth Everitt said federal money will be spent in sixth grade and below to teach abstinence before marriage, but comprehensive sex education will also continue to be taught in the city's schools.

APS will still invite contractors paid with federal funds to participate in sex education classes, and abstinence messages will be included at all grade levels, said Everitt. "Nothing changes except where the federal funds are spent," she said.

Earlier this month, the New Mexico Department of Health said that the $500,000 in federal grants available to abstinence-only contractors would be limited to grades six and below. Existing department contracts in middle and high schools in nine counties will remain through the current school year. But for the next school year, the state will issue a revised request for proposals to contractors.

According to State Health Secretary Michelle Lujan Grisham, department studies reporting the "alarming numbers of teens having sex at young ages" make the shift of abstinence-only programs to younger students seem appropriate. Students who are already sexually active need information about STDs and contraception in addition to the abstinence message, she said.

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