Senator Golden Calls On Democrats To Do The Right Thing And Stand Up For Our Kids

Senator Martin J. Golden (R-C, Brooklyn) has called on members of the Senate Democratic Conference to have the Governor to accept over $3.5 million in federal dollars for abstinance funding.

"At a time when the rates of sexually transmitted diseases are skyrocketing, it is wrong for the Spitzer administration to reject over $3million in federal funs for health education abstinence programs. The only way to stop STDs dead in their tracks is to educate our kids about abstinence," said Senator Golden.

Recently a number of Democratic Senators, who remained silent when the State Health Department announced that it would no longer accept federal fund for abstinence programs endorsed legislation which contained an abstinence component in order to protect the health of New York State’s young people.

"Although some Senate Democrats are accepting the validity of abstinence programs, it is time for them to do the right thing. It is time for them to call on the Governor to change his stand on taking this funding. Only by teaching our children the importance of abstinence can we change the trend of increasing STD rates," continued Senator Golden.

"Talk is cheap. The time has come for the Senate Democrats to put their money where their mouth is. It’s easy to talk about our children’s health, it is another thing to take action. The action they need to take is to have the Governor reverse is ill-conceived and ill-advised decision to reject money which funds programs that will improve the character of our children, while at the same time protecting their health," concluded Senator Golden.

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