PA applies for abstinence only funds

The Pennsylvania Department of Health is applying for $1.7 million in federal grants for abstinence-only sex education. In the past the Rendell administration has not applied for the grants partially because the administration does not think anything short of a comprehensive sex education is adequate. Health Dept. spokesperson Claudine Battisti says this does not represent a shift in policy. She says the state is still not spending any of its money on abstinence only education it is only serving as a conduit for the federal dollars. The federal grants require a 43-percent match and the applicant will have to provide those funds without state assistance. Battisti says the department wants to be fair to schools and community groups that want to emphasize only avoiding sex before marriage.