Funding promised to abstinence education programs, which deliver a character-based “abstinence until marriage” message to teens, soon will be pulled out from under them if President Obama has his way. He requested Congress to zero out monies to Community Based Abstinence Education and Title V Abstinence Education programs by eliminating them from his 2010 budget.

Now, the House has addressed the issue and not restored the funding. The Senate Appropriations Committee has eliminated funding, but it still needs to be debated on the Senate floor. If successful this would remove a primary, prevention skill-building message to 2.5 million students each year.

With one in four girls having at least one sexually transmitted disease and the teen birth rate beginning to inch upward, it is vital that teens receive skills to equip them to make the healthiest choice for their sexual health.

ProjecTruth of Catholic Charities has eight years’ experience sharing this message with 50,000 teens. Our educators have seen it resonate with students, and students’ surveys consistently show an understanding of the message and an increased intent to remain abstinent.

Abstinence education delays the onset of sexual activity. Studies show that students who participate in abstinence programs delay sexual onset, reduce partners when sexually active and discontinue sexual activity if previously sexually experienced.

Dr. Stan E. Weed of the Institute for Research and Evaluation (IRE) in Seattle, reported to Congress his findings that in school/classroom settings, 44 percent of abstinence programs had improved rates of teen abstinence, while only 36 percent of condom-based sex education programs demonstrated increases in both abstinence and condom use for the target population. IRE’s research reviewed 119 sex education studies, comprising 20 years of research by U. S. social scientists.

Abstinence until marriage education saves taxpayers billions of dollars; the Centers for Disease Control attributes 67 percent of teen birth reductions to fewer teens being sexually active. A total of $6.9 billion in annual savings has been realized with abstinence education.

So-called comprehensive sex education is not the answer. Its emphasis is on contraception and condom use. Would you tell children not to smoke because of the consequences and then give them filtered cigarettes, just in case they decide to try smoking?

Contraception-based programs are funded at four times the level of abstinence programs and the president’s 2010 budget allocates even more dollars to condom-based education. More significantly, his budget eliminates choice in education — a pillar of democracy. Reauthorization of this funding is critical to supporting the best, most healthy choices for our nation’s adolescents, and to retaining educational choice for parents and their children.

Dr. Judith Vogtli is program director for Catholic Charities ProjecTruth.