Abstinence Education

The Abstinence Education program encourages youth to choose sexual abstinence until marriage by promoting, coordinating, and supporting abstinence education; and by assuring quality and consistency of abstinence programs throughout the state.

What is abstinence?
Abstinence is voluntarily abstaining from sexual activity.

What is sexual activity?
According to Ohio Revised Code (ORC 2907.01), sexual activity includes sexual intercourse, oral sex, or touching an erogenous zone of another for the purpose of sexual arousal of either person.

The Abstinence Education program administers both federal and state abstinence funds and receives $1.64 million in federal funding with an additional $500,000 in state funding annually. This funding enables local schools to satisfy the mandates of Ohio law (ORC #3313.6011) which requires that abstinence education be the primary emphasis for sexually transmitted disease (STD) instruction in Ohio schools.

Abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases. Decisions children make now can affect their health and character for the rest of their lives. All of us - parents, schools, government - must work together to counter the negative influence of the culture and to send the right messages to our children. (State of the Union Address, Jan. 2004)

When our children face a choice between self restraint and self destruction, government should not be neutral. Government should not sell children short by assuming they are incapable of acting responsibly. We must promote the good choices. (Feb. 2002)

- George W. Bush
President of the United States of America

Abstinence Education programs in Ohio:

• Abstinence providers identified by county in Ohio
• Current Title V funded abstinence programs
• Current SPRANS funded abstinence programs

Current funding opportunities for abstinence education in Ohio:

• Title V Abstinence Grant
  Proposals for FY 2006 and FY 2007 abstinence education grant funding are currently being submitted for a competitive award process presently underway. Successful grants will be announced in late August or early September, 2005. Funding for FY 2006 will begin on Oct. 1, 2005.
   
• Two other abstinence grant programs for abstinence education are available through a competitive grant process directly from the federal government. Available from two separate agencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, these grant programs also require adherence to the Federal Section 510 A-H Guidelines. Select the Links section at the bottom to find and read these guidelines.
   

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events (select the link for registration information and overview):

For state specific data on HIV/AIDS, STDs, births, infant mortality, women’s health and demographic information, visit the Health Statistics section on the Ohio Department of Health website.

Mailing Address:
Ohio Department of Health
Abstinence Education Program
246 North High Street, 7th Floor
Columbus Ohio 43215

Telephone: (614) 995-5169
Fax: (614) 729-3555

E-mail: AOE@odh.ohio.gov

Last Updated: 5/04/07

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