FILE PHOTO: A person walks outside of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building, in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 27, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo

(Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Thursday it has terminated California's federal grant for a program to provide sexual health education to adolescents, citing the state's refusal to remove "radical gender ideology" from its curricula.

The Personal Responsibility Education Program educates young people on abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, with particular focus on children who are homeless or living in foster care or in areas with high teen birth rates.

"Despite clear direction, California responded to Administration for Children and Families stating they will not be making the required modifications, leading ACF to take decisive action to terminate their PREP grant," HHS said in a statement.

The California Department of Public Health did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

(Reporting by Mariam Sunny and Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)