Sex on the Brain

A new bill hit both the House and Senate yesterday, flying below the media’s radar. Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) followed up the liberals’ plea for more international “family planning” funds with a request for some home-grown sex education.

Unlike its name suggests, the “Responsible Education about Life” (REAL) Act would pump millions of dollars into federal grants for “abstinence plus” programs, which are heavy on contraception and light on abstinence.

Not surprisingly, both NARAL and Planned Parenthood are lobbying on behalf of the bill. And why not? When the contraception pushed in these programs fails—as it will-a new generation of abortion customers will be born.

If Congress truly wanted to get real about curbing teen sex, it would take an in-depth look at the benefits of abstinence.

Tony Perkins heads the Family Research Council. This article is excerpted from the Washington Update that he compiles for the FRC.