ACLU Battles LA Over Abstinence

[HagiaSophia]

Escalating a fight over whether Louisiana’s program encouraging premarital sexual abstinence promotes religion, the American Civil Liberties Union asked a federal court Thursday to hold the state in contempt of a 2002 court settlement over the issue.

In its motion, the ACLU contends that the Governor’s Program on Abstinence – despite the agreement not to promote religion – continues to feature religious materials on its official Web site.

The action followed a letter sent by the ACLU to the governor’s program asking it to remove all religious content from the Web site. In December, Gov. Kathleen Blanco and her executive counsel, Terry Ryder, said merely providing links to other abstinence-related sites with religious content does not violate the settlement.

“The court made clear in 2002 that the state may not use taxpayer dollars to promote religion in its abstinence-only-until-marriage program,” Louise Melling, director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, said in a prepared statement. "The state promised to clean up its act, but has failed to do so.

Joe Cook, executive director of the Louisiana ACLU, said the governor’s program “has made wrong choices at every turn by misusing tax dollars to promote religion instead of providing credible information to teens based on science and public health.”

theadvocate.com/stories/012005/new_acluabstinence001.shtml

 

[showvan]

I am from Louisiana and I think that there should be more abstnene taught and abortion should be made illegal.

 

[JakeW]

Has the ACLU been sued yet?? They sue everybody else, don’t they?.

Can’t 70,000,000 Christians get together and serve these bozos with some sort of class action lawsuit??

 

[JimG]

Abstinence is a religion? I thought it was common sense.

 

[Lisa4Catholics]

JakeW:

Has the ACLU been sued yet?? They sue everybody else, don’t they?.

Can’t 70,000,000 Christians get together and serve these bozos with some sort of class action lawsuit??

If you get something together just show me where to sign God Bless

 

[mkw]

I’ll sign.xxx

Maybe a Class Action lawsuit may wake some people up

 

[Digitonomy]

JakeW:

Can’t 70,000,000 Christians get together and serve these bozos with some sort of class action lawsuit??

Yes, you can. Just like that yahoo from Washington that sued to prevent Bush from using a Bible at his inauguration, anyone can file suit for whatever frivolous reason he chooses, even if his case has no merit.

So it is also with the ACLU. If they truly feel that the governor has violated the previous agreement, they have every right to take it to court. Where it will be dismissed if it lacks merit.

Here’s a response from Governor Blanco with a bit more detail on the specific issues raised, and her administration’s responses.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

LA rolled over and played dead when threatened with a suit over the cross on the seal.

They are an easy target.

Why shouldn’t the ACLU use them to run up their victory score.

 

[Jay74]

JimG:

Abstinence is a religion? I thought it was common sense.

No kidding, i totally agree with your sentiments. They hate Jesus so much that anything Jesus believes they fight.

Abstinence works every time. It’s not a religious teaching, its a fact. I’d even say it’s a no-brainer.

 

[Brad]

The ACLU is typically opposing anything that is either ONLY taught by Christians or BOTH taught by Christians and others. In other words, the ACLU is opposed to most things that are good. The ACLU is simply showing it’s communist colors. I am ashamed that some Catholics on these very forums actually support this organization.

 

[Rascal]

HagiaSophia:

Joe Cook, executive director of the Louisiana ACLU, said the governor’s program “has made wrong choices at every turn by misusing tax dollars to promote religion instead of providing credible information to teens based on science and public health.”

So abstinence is not credible for stopping AIDS? Is there really research that suggests you can still get AIDS while abstaining?