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A federal judge has ordered the state of Louisiana to stop promoting religion through an abstinence-only sex education program. Louisiana officials dispute the judge's ruling and will appeal.

The Governor's Program on Abstinence has received $1.6 million annually in abstinence-only grants under the 1996 federal Welfare Reform Act. Earlier this year, the House reauthorized the act, which provides $50 million annually to abstinence programs. The Senate may take it up before 2003. The Governor's Program on Abstinence reaches middle school and high school students across the state through classroom lectures and after-school clubs (CT, July 8, p. 14).

Until July 1, the program also provided money to religious groups to promote abstinence. Such funding is constitutional as long as the groups do not use government funds to promote religious doctrine.

The American Civil Liberties Union sued the program on May 9, claiming that some groups had improperly spent government money on religious activities, including prayer and prolife activism. U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Porteous agreed. He faulted Louisiana officials for failing to oversee the money they disbursed.

Dan Richey, coordinator of the program, said the state no longer provides funds to religious groups and that school activities are a more effective way to spread the message. Still, he told Christianity Today, "We've maintained all along that the funds were spent properly."

Joe Cook, executive director of the Louisiana chapter of the ACLU, told CT that the ruling is a victory for the First Amendment. "We are a secular country," Cook said. "You can promote abstinence, but you can't use religion as a vehicle to do that. The public officials and Mr. Richey have got to get out of the pulpit and back in their roles as state officials."

Richey says the ruling also erred by prohibiting officials from supporting groups in which state funds tend to be "subsumed in the religious mission."

"This part of the decision is totally without merit," Richey said. "That goes against what the Supreme Court has ruled."

On August 20, Louisiana filed a notice of its intent to appeal. The outcome could affect other abstinence programs around the country, many of which are run by church groups or religious schools, said Bridget Maher, a policy analyst with the Family Research Council.

Richey plans to continue spreading the abstinence-only message to students in Louisiana: "We're expanding it on all fronts."

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The official site for the Governor's Program on Abstinence has background information and frequently asked questions as well as resources on the middle school curriculum, high school abstinence clubs.

Articles on the Louisiana program and the ACLU suit include:

Judge Orders Changes In Abstinence Program—The Washington Post (July 26, 2002)

Abstinence fund aided religion, official says—The Dallas Morning News (June 19, 2002)

Abstinence program chief testifies in ACLU suit—The Times-Picayune (June 19, 2002)

Louisiana Abstinence Program Aim of ACLU Lawsuit—CNS News (May 22, 2002)

ACLU Sues Louisiana Over Abstinence Ed—The Washington Post (May 16, 2002)

ACLU Sues La. over abstinence teaching—The Washington Post (May 9, 2002)

Teen abstinence programs catch on—The State (May 8, 2002)

Abstinence program may be headed to area—The Shreveport Times (April 8, 2002)

Virginity Pledges by Teenagers Can Be Highly Effective, Federal Study Finds—The New York Times (Jan. 4, 2001)

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October 7 2002, Vol. 46, No. 11