Rhode Island Kids Won't Hear Abstinence Message

The Rhode Island Department of Education said 'No' to an abstinence-only s*x education program because it was "not consistent with Rhode Island health education standards," The Advocate reported.





Heritage of Rhode Island (HRI) developed a program called, "Right Time, Right Place," designed to teach kids the benefit of abstinence until marriage. A three-year federal grant provided the funding for the program, which, according to Feminist Daily News, reached more than 600 students in two school districts last year.





The Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint against HRI claiming the program contained religious material and did not meet the state's s*x education standards.





The Rhode Island Department of Education reviewed the complaint and the material, ultimately concluding the curriculum did not meet standards which require instruction on c*nd*m use and the prevention of s*xually transmitted disease.





Chris Plante, executive director of HRI, was disappointed with the decision. Plante said the abstinence-only instruction was not meant to replace current s*x-education programs in the state, only to compliment them.