Florida: Three Groups Get Money to Promote Abstinence

Three organizations in central Florida recently received a federal abstinence grant dividing $423,000 annually for five years. The grant, issued through the Health and Human Services Youth Services Bureau, will fund abstinence-education efforts for Life Choice Care Center in Citrus County, A New Generation in Hernando County and The Christian Care Center in Lake and Sumter counties.

Abstinence educators say they offer skills to help teens avoid unwanted pregnancies and STDs, but critics say such groups twist facts to support religious and ideological agendas.

"Abstinence-only education is ignorance only," said Wendy Grassi of Planned Parenthood of southwest and central Florida. "You need to give kids the full picture of how to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STDs, or you're putting some people at very high risk."

Darla Huddleston of Life Care Choice Center said the group goes into churches, youth groups and middle and high schools to teach kids how to avoid peer pressure, develop relationship skills, and prepare for marriage. She said since abstinence education started taking off in the mid-1990s, teen pregnancy rates have dropped from about 1.5 million a year to 800,000.

"That's not proof. That's a theory," said Grassi, who thought the decline could be attributed to a number of factors, including increased education about condoms and fears surrounding HIV. Grassi said many abstinence-only organizations mislead young people, and give artificially high failure rates for condoms. "The current administration has come out all along wanting to fund faith-based education," she said.

But those supporting local abstinence programs say the funds will go to hiring more instructors, investing in materials and spreading the message that "sex is for marriage."

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