Kent Conrad, Blanche Lincoln vote to restore 50 million yearly in abstinence only funds.

[madfloridian]

This was a vote in the Senate Finance Committee which yesterday could not manage to okay a public option.

Conrad and Lincoln joined all the Republicans on the committee to make sure our children are only subjected to the religious right view....and kept ignorant on really important issues of safe sex.

Thanks to DUer flyarm in GDP for calling this to our attention.

Here is more about their vote.

Senate Finance Committee votes to restore federal funding for abstinence education

WASHINGTON - A Senate committee voted Tuesday night to restore $50 million a year in federal funding for abstinence-only education that President Barack Obama has pushed to eliminate. The 12-11 vote by the Senate Finance Committee came over objections from its chairman, Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana.

Two Democrats — Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas — joined all 10 committee Republicans in voting "yes" on the measure by Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah.

The measure would still have to pass the full House and Senate. Hatch said abstinence education had been shown to work, though Baucus disagreed. Obama had proposed in his 2010 budget to direct money spent on abstinence-only education to broader teen pregnancy-reduction programs.

Baucus introduced his own measure which offer other things in addition to abstinence only training.

An alternate measure offered by Baucus also passed. Baucus' measure, which passed 14-9, would make money available for education on contraception and sexually transmitted diseases, among other things, in addition to abstinence. Lawmakers will have to reconcile the two measures, both approved during debate on a sweeping health overhaul bill, as the legislation moves forward.

Why do we so cater to the religious right as to even include the failed abstinence only at all?

[madfloridian]

1. Orrin Hatch is a very happy man.

http://www.standard.net/topics/news/2009/09/30/hatch-lauds-vote-abstinence-education

"WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), member of the Senate Finance Committee, today hailed Tuesday night's committee vote for his amendment to reinstate funding for abstinence education.

"Abstinence education works," said Hatch. "My amendment restores a vital funding stream so that teens and parents have the option to participate in programs that have demonstrated success in reducing teen sexual activity and, consequently, teen pregnancies.

"I laud the Senate Finance Committee for its strong bipartisan vote to ensure valuable programs such as these continue to help teach our children about healthy lifestyle choices."

Hatch's amendment reinstates $50 million a year in abstinence funding through Title V state block grant programs. Traditionally, abstinence education funding was extended along with funding for the Transitional Medical Assistance, or TMA, program, which extends Medicaid to families struggling to leave welfare, but President Obama zeroed it out in his budget proposal to Congress in order to spend the money on his other priorities."

[donco6]

6. Works? Works where?

I don't think I've read any study that shows it works at all.

[madfloridian]

8. Such an empty claim to back up their ideology.

It doesn't work, never has.

:hi:

[Warpy]

2. The polls show Blanche losing to every GOP on the list so far

so she's trying to curry favor with the bible bangers instead of the Democrats.

Every pol who has tried to do this and for the same reason has found that people would rather vote for a real GOP than a fake one.

She's on her way out.

[madfloridian]

3. You are right. They will vote for a real Republican every time...

rather than a fake one.

They should try catering to the Democrats and see how that works. They might be surprised.

[KansDem]

4. "Abstinence only?" I thought the Palins' 15-minute schtick was over...

Sarah Palin uncovered

[SoCalDem]

5. How about tossing that $50 million YEARLY.. into health care

trying to control horny teenagers seems to be a congressional obsession

[madfloridian]

7. Makes good sense....throw it into health care.

:hi: