USA: 12 dollars pour promouvoir la contraception contre un dollar pour encourager labstinence.
The financial balance sheet between abstinence and safe-sex programs within the has been little known, but many assume that the money spent between the two approaches is equitable. According to new report published by the Heritage Foundation, however, the government spends "$12 to promote contraception for every dollar spent to encourage abstinence." According to the report, which was based on information up until 2002, combined "federal and state governments spent an estimated $1.73 billion" on safe-sex and contraception programs through, among other programs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Medicaid with "more than a third of that money ($653 million).spent specifically to fund contraceptive programs for teens." In contrast to the enormous sums funneled into condoms, contraception and other programs, abstinence programs "received only an estimated $144.1 million." Some programs show an even greater imbalance than 12 to 1. For instance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) allocates only 5 percent of its budget towards abstinence. At the state level, Heritage says "estimates assume that 10 percent of the pregnancy funds went to abstinence programs, while 90 percent was used to support contraceptive-oriented programs and services." Unfortunately, with these disparities in funding, few teens will "receive a clear message about the harmful effects of early sexual activity; few are taught that society expects teens to delay sexual activity. Instead, most safe sex/comprehensive sex-ed programs send the clear, if implicit message that society expects and condones teen sexual activity."Regardless, the Heritage Foundation study points out that even with the large amount of funds being spent on sexual education classes and contraception options, "strong efforts exist to further expand contraceptive funding and to reduce or eliminate funding for abstinence." E-mail: clf@culture-of-life.org Website: http://www.culture-of-life.org
Quality of Life - Bruxelles – Février 2004