Ernest Istook: “this deals with the matter that was offered earlier during the debate on this bill to make available an additional $33…”

“this deals with the matter that was offered earlier during the debate on this bill to make available an additional $33 million for Abstinence Education Grants. The offset, of course, is different from what it was before. It is now under the Disease Control, Research, and Training program, which, among other things, provides funding for combatting sexually transmitted diseases, as well as other diseases. Mr. Chairman, this is in response to the great crisis that we have had for decades regarding teen pregnancy, teen sexual activity, unwed births, and the tremendous catastrophic effect that it has had on America and on millions and millions of lives in America. For decades, since the 1970s, Mr. Chairman, we have been funding so-called safe sex programs, family planning programs, things using a euphemism for telling kids it is okay to have sex, as long as you are careful about it. What has been the result during that time? Mr. Chairman, as Federal funding for these programs went up, teenage pregnancies and unwed births went up along with it. The more we sent a mixed message that says it is okay to have sex out of wedlock, it is okay, kids, just be safe about it, the more we undercut what Mom and Dad tell their kids, the more we undercut what they are taught at church, the more we found that we got more of the problem.”