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The 1996 federal Welfare Reform
Law’s abstinence-only-until-marriage provisions included a strict
eight-point definition of abstinence education. All three federal
funding streams of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, the Adolescent
Family Life Act (AFLA), Title V (welfare reform), and Special Project
of Regional and National Significance—Community Based Abstinence
Education (SPRANS-CBAE) must adhere to this definition. While Title
V and AFLA require that programs not be inconsistent with any of the
eight points, SPRANS-CBAE requires that all programs funded be responsive
to each of the eight points.
Section
510(b) of Title V of the Social Security Act, P.L. 104–193 |
For the purposes of
this section, the term “abstinence education” means
an educational or
motivational program which: |
| A |
has
as its exclusive purpose teaching the social, psychological, and
health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity; |
| B |
teaches
abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage as the expected
standard for all school-age children; |
| C |
teaches
that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to
avoid out-ofwedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and
other associated health problems; |
| D |
teaches
that a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in the context
of marriage is the expected standard of sexual activity; |
| E |
teaches
that sexual activity outside of the context of marriage is likely
to have harmful psychological and physical effects; |
| F |
teaches that bearing children out-of-wedlock is likely to have harmful
consequences for the child, the child’s parents, and society; |
| G |
teaches
young people how to reject sexual advances and how alcohol and drug
use increase vulnerability to sexual advances, and |
| H |
teaches
the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before engaging in
sexual activity.
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By this definition, young people who have already engaged in sexual activity, those who have been sexually abused, or those living in nontraditional households are presented with shame and fear-based messages, as well as denied critical health information. Other groups of young people, such as gay and lesbian youth, are ignored completely by this definition.
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