c. 2006 Religion News Service

Abstinence Money Expanded to Include 20-Somethings

WASHINGTON (RNS) Famous for targeting teens with “no sex before marriage” campaigns, the federal government is now reminding Americans that waiting can work for adults, too.

In a recent program announcement, the Administration for Children and Families highlighted the possibility that federally funded programs to promote abstinence can be used among 19- to 29-year-olds.

Wade Horn, the administration’s assistant secretary, said the shift was simply an attempt to clarify 2007 guidelines for states receiving millions of dollars in grant money through the Title V program.

“What the law says is that Title V funds should be targeted to those age groups that are most likely to bear children outside of wedlock, and this is between the ages of 19 and 29. We wanted to clear up any confusion about whether these funds could be used for this age group,” he said.

No states have complained about the revised guidance so far, he said, adding, “It would be absurd for a state to complain because if they don’t want to follow our guidance, they don’t have to.”

Some opponents say the change is an ideologically driven ploy to alter adult sexual practices. They also warn that promoting abstinence among adults is simply ineffective.

“Given the limited pot of money, the abstinence funding should be spent on teens. If you focus on adults, the overwhelming majority of which have already had sex, you’re not going to be very effective,” said Bill Albert, deputy director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

While the government may simply be “clarifying” the rules, Albert said, its emphasis on the older demographic will likely shift programming in that direction.

“Obviously, those states who apply for that money _ and 49 of them have _ pay very close attention to what the federal government decides to emphasize,” he said.

_ Jason Kane

Survey: 1 in 10 Americans Say `Boo’ to Halloween for Religious Reasons

(RNS) About one in 10 Americans have religious objections to Halloween, a new Gallup Panel survey shows.

Eleven percent of Americans say they personally have objections on religious grounds to celebrating the holiday. The vast majority _ 89 percent _ do not have such objections to the day marked by trick-or-treaters going door-to-door.

In general, Americans who attend religious services often are not as inclined to take part in Halloween activities as those who attend less frequently.

For example, 54 percent of those who attend services weekly say they pass out treats to children at their door on Halloween, compared to 72 percent of those who attend nearly weekly or monthly, and 67 percent of those who attend seldom or never.

Likewise, 35 percent of weekly attenders display Halloween decorations in their yard or home, compared to 47 percent of those who attend nearly weekly or monthly and the same percentage who attend seldom or never.

Researchers found there was not much difference between the decisions of frequent and infrequent churchgoers to wear a costume, attend a Halloween party or visit a haunted house.

The study was based on nationwide telephone interviews from Oct. 23-26 with 1,001 adults and has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Respondents were randomly drawn from the Gallup Organization’s nationally representative household panel, which was originally recruited through random selection.

_ Adelle M. Banks

Civil Unions on Track for Legalization in New Jersey

NEWARK, N.J. (RNS) New Jersey legislative leaders say lawmakers will respond quickly to the state Supreme Court’s order for equal rights for same-sex couples _ and that response will likely allow civil unions, not marriage.

Senate President Richard Codey and Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts, both Democrats, said they expect both houses to address the issue no later than January.

“I think people’s opinions are pretty well formed, both within the public and the Legislature as well,” Codey said Monday (Oct. 30). “It’s clear there is a consensus against not doing anything and a consensus for civil unions.”

The state Supreme Court ruled Oct. 25 that gay couples are entitled to all the rights and responsibilities extended to married couples. But the court left it to the Legislature to determine whether those rights should be conferred by extending the definition of marriage to include gay couples or by enacting a separate legal framework for the gay unions. The court gave the Legislature 180 days to act.

Senate Democrats agreed they would rather deal with the issue sooner than later, said Codey.

“I think everyone wants to put it behind us,” said state Sen. Shirley Turner, a Democrat.

Roberts said members of the Assembly also favor civil unions over gay marriage _ a stance shared by Gov. Jon Corzine. Roberts said the lower house also will move on the issue well before the court’s deadline.

“I think we will begin to address it before the end of the year,” said Roberts. “If it has not passed both houses by the end of this year, it will happen early next year.”

Leading gay-rights advocates are promoting gay marriage in the wake of the court’s ruling. Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality, a political action committee, said his group will fight any effort to act quickly on legislation that does not formally set up gay marriage in New Jersey.

_ Dunstan McNichol

Quote of the Day: Sheik Taj Aldin Alihilali of Australia

(RNS) “I confess that this analogy is inappropriate and unacceptable for the Australian society and the Western society in general.”

_ Sheik Taj Aldin Alihilali of Australia, an Egyptian-born Muslim cleric, issuing an apology for his previous statement that compared women without head scarves to “uncovered meat.” He was quoted by the Associated Press.

KRE/PH END RNS