The federal government is expanding the scope of its abstinence programs to people up to age 29 — proving yet again that the federal government takes its marching orders from Christian evangelicals who believe that Jesus is offended by premarital sex.

(h/t: Huff Po)

  • A relevant aside: H.L. Mencken defined puritanism as “the haunting fear that somebody, somewhere, is having a good time.”

    • USA Today:

    The federal government’s “no sex without marriage” message isn’t just for kids anymore.

    Now the government is targeting unmarried adults up to age 29 as part of its abstinence-only programs, which include millions of dollars in federal money that will be available to the states under revised federal grant guidelines for 2007.

    The government says the change is a clarification. But critics say it’s a clear signal of a more directed policy targeting the sexual behavior of adults.

    “They’ve stepped over the line of common sense,” said James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit that supports sex education. “To be preaching abstinence when 90% of people are having sex is in essence to lose touch with reality. It’s an ideological campaign. It has nothing to do with public health.”

    Link

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