The Trump administration is scaling back funding for a sex education program that started in 2010 under President Obama. The 81 Teen Pregnancy Prevention grantees were supposed to receive $200 million through 2020, but were informed by the Department of Health and Human Services last month that the money would dry up in June 2018.
The grantees were "perplexed" by the change, as were several Democratic lawmakers.
"This action is short-sighted and puts at risk the health and well-being of women and our most vulnerable youth who depend on the evidenced-based work that TPP Program grantees are doing across the nation," a group of Democratic senators wrote in a letter to HHS Secretary Tom Price.
Yet, it's not hard to figure out why the White House is not interested in continuing to support the program's agenda. As LifeNews notes, this particular program has donated millions of dollars to Planned Parenthood.
Furthermore, Health and Human Services Department spokesman Mark Vafiades indicated that the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program has little to no impact on teen health.
Vafiades said the evidence of a positive impact is “very weak,” and the Trump administration wants to support a program that “provides youth with the information and skills they need to avoid the many risks associated with teen sex.”
He's not far off in his assessment. I have spoken with experts who have evidence that these sex ed programs are nothing more than a social movement. In many classroom syllabi, "educators" expose teens and children to graphic images, teach them that sexuality is "a natural and healthy part of life,” and sometimes even omit the dangers associated with sex.
The HHS has not indicated whether it intends to redistribute its funds to abstinence only programs. For more information on the benefits of abstinence education, please refer to this piece I wrote in 2015.