LOS ANGELES, April 8 (UPI) -- Several U.S. states are turning down federal funds aimed at educating youth about the benefits of abstaining from sex.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Ohio, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Montana and New Jersey have all dropped out of a federal grant program meant to teach teens about the virtues of abstinence. California has refused participation all along.
The Times reported that many governors believe the program, managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is archaic and impractical in preaching that sex outside of marriage is likely to have "harmful psychological and physical effects."
The program, called the State Abstinence Education Program, has been criticized for providing false information about the effectiveness of contraceptives like condoms and is said to be too rigid in its rules.
As state authorities are calling for a more comprehensive approach to sex education, many abstinence groups are reportedly becoming alarmed, saying that without an abstinence-teaching program, teenagers will feel more pressure to have sex.
