Ernest Istook: “I rise in support of the Livingston and Smith language and in opposition to the Greenwood language. Mr. Chairman, I…”

“I rise in support of the Livingston and Smith language and in opposition to the Greenwood language. Mr. Chairman, I oppose the Greenwood amendment, and support the proposals of Mr. Livingston and Mr. Smith. The current title X programs hurt America's families; they undercut America's families and our values. How? Because current title X programs promote teenage promiscuity and other sex outside of marriage. American history since title X was adopted shows that abortions are up, and out-of-wedlock births are also up dramatically. Why? Because the Federal Government, with taxpayers' money, is subsidizing sex outside of marriage. Let's look just at the teenagers who are subsidized by title X: One-third of those who use title X are juveniles. Minors. Children. Teenagers. Over 1 million young people each year, who the law says are too young to vote, too young to enter a contract, often too young to have their ears pierced without a parent's permission, can go to a government family planning clinic, without knowledge of parents or family. There they don't get instruction in the moral and other consequences of sex outside marriage. Instead, they get free birth control pills, condoms, and other contraception, and treatment for sexually-transmitted diseases: AIDS, syphilis, gonorrhea, and other forms of venereal diseases. And their parents are never told.”