Senate Bill Restores Abstinence-Only Funding

Sec. 2954 of the Senate health-reform bill, released Wednesday evening, restores funding for abstinence education. Their provision would restore a program called Title V, which, since the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, has allocated a yearly $50 million in grants to abstinence-only education programs. Obama let the program lapse in June, leaving some abstinence-only groups in dire straits. So in September, Sen. Orrin Hatch offered an amendment to restore Title V via heath-care reform, which (much to the outrage of liberal groups) just squeaked through the Senate Finance Committee with a 12–11 vote. A similar amendment, offered in the House by Rep. Terry Lee from Nebraska, died in committee. If the Senate language survives reconciliation, the Title V program will be extended through 2014. Newsweek