Did you know that in 2006 New Jersey became the fourth state to reject federal funding for inaccurate, unproven abstinence-only programs?

New Jersey had been a recipient of federal abstinence-only funds since 1997.  However, in October 2006, the commissioners of New Jersey's departments of health and education announced that the state would not be applying for Title V abstinence-only funding for Fiscal Year 2007.  This decision was made in light of the new, stricter federal requirement that recipients of Title V funding adhere to every element of the federal government's abstinence-only program.  Previously, state recipients were permitted more flexibility to be consistent with their own core standards.

Under the new regulations, New Jersey schools would no longer be permitted to teach comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education, even if such education retained a strong focus on abstinence. The commissioners cited their "serious concerns about medical inaccuracies" in the federal abstinence-only programs as a key reason for the decision, and expressed alarm over federal rules requiring recipients to "not promote contraception and/or condom use."

New Jersey, like every state, has good reason to be concerned.  In December 2004, the U.S. House of Representatives released a report evaluating the content of federally funded abstinence-only programs.  The report found that more than 80 percent of the abstinence-only curricula contained “false, misleading, or distorted information about reproductive health.”  In addition, the report found that the curricula contained multiple scientific and medical inaccuracies.  For example, the curricula misrepresent the effectiveness of condoms; contain false information about the risks of abortion; and present religious views and stereotypes about girls and boys as if they were scientific fact. 

Press Release, SIECUS, Advocates for Comprehensive Sex Education Praise Governor's Decision to Reject Federal Funding for Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs: Federal requirements contradict NJ's comprehensive curriculum (Oct. 25, 2006); Letter from Fred M. Jacobs, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, and Lucille Davy, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Education, to Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary, United States Department of Health and Human Services, (Oct. 24, 2006); Special Investigations Division, U.S. House of Representatives, The Content of Federally Funded Abstinence-Only Education Programs, at i, ii (2004).