Critics fear a loss of services for poor women.
But while the programs have mushroomed in recent years all over the nation, state officials say neither the state nor the federal government has done a comprehensive evaluation to see if they work. Florida already has about 35 chastity education programs. So far, all of them have been funded with federal dollars. Much of the money goes to private groups, many of which are religious. The groups are not supposed to give teens a religious message, even though meetings are often held in churches and speakers come from local congregations.