State rejects abstinence-only sex ed funds

Posted by Philissa at 11:56 AM

After yesterday's exhausting experiment in liveblogging, I'm going to take it a little easier today. But I do want to direct your attention to some important news: New York State has decided to turn down federal funding for abstinence-only sex education. Previously, the state received the second largest number of federal dollars for abstinence-only sex ed, which studies have shown to be ineffective. Many health advocates were pushing the state to abolish abstinence-only sex ed, even though it meant giving up federal funding. Because the state doesn't actually require sex ed, this change won't necessarily bring comprehensive sex ed to schools, but it does at least diminish the incentive for districts to misinform their students.