ACLU Files Suit over USAID's Abstinence Programs

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit against the U.S. Agency for International Development for not providing information about “religiously infused” abstinence programs the agency has funded.

The lawsuit, which was filed Thursday (Feb. 18), follows a report last July from USAID’s inspector general that found “some USAID funds were used for religious activities” during 2006 and 2007.

According to its complaint, the ACLU twice filed requests under the Freedom of Information Act seeking documents related to programs that promoted sexual abstinence. USAID acknowledged receiving the requests but never responded by sending the requested documents.

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Posted in * Culture-Watch, Education, Ethics / Moral Theology, Law & Legal Issues, Sexuality, Theology

5 comments on “ACLU Files Suit over USAID's Abstinence Programs

  1. robroy says:

    [blockquote] When the inspector general report was released, a USAID spokesperson said its results are “not supported by the facts and is an unsupported legal conclusion regarding the constitutional requirement of separation of church and state.” [/blockquote]
    Where, pray tell, is a “constitutional requirement of separation of church and state”? Oh, you mean the non-establishment clause? Memorizing a line from the Bible or Koran or Bhagavad gita is establishing state religion?

    If any teacher mentions the golden rule, we need to cut their tongues out. If any law professor mentions “an eye for an eye”, he should be categorically dismissed!

  2. dwstroudmd+ says:

    Abstinence is no more religious than seat belts. Both make sense of plain facts.

  3. Br. Michael says:

    Values have to come from someplace. And that some place is each person’s worldview, what ever that may be. Maybe the ACLU should present a list of worldviews they find acceptable and justify why their particular worldview(s) should be privileged over others? What the ACLU is after is an impossibility. There is no such thing as valueless or neutral values. You must select something and the failure to select is itself a selection. It is way past time to put the ACLU in its place.

  4. Already left says:

    I don’t see the ACLU up in arms over the government backing Planned Parenthood!!!

  5. Cennydd says:

    I expect to hear that the ACLU has filed suit against themselves for some perceived misdeed soon.