Report: Abstinence programs don't work
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Report: Abstinence programs don't work
By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer Wed Nov 7, 10:50 AM ET
WASHINGTON - Programs that focus exclusively on abstinence have not
been shown to affect teenager sexual behavior, although they are
eligible for tens of millions of dollars in federal grants, according
to a study released by a nonpartisan group that seeks to reduce teen
pregnancies.
"At present there does not exist any strong evidence that any
abstinence program delays the initiation of sex, hastens the return to
abstinence or reduces the number of sexual partners" among teenagers,
the study concluded.
The report, which was based on a review of research into teenager
sexual behavior, was being released Wednesday by the nonpartisan
National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
The study found that while abstinence-only efforts appear to have
little positive impact, more comprehensive sex education programs were
having "positive outcomes" including teenagers "delaying the
initiation of sex, reducing the frequency of sex, reducing the number
of sexual partners and increasing condom or contraceptive use."
"Two-thirds of the 48 comprehensive programs that supported both
abstinence and the use of condoms and contraceptives for sexually
active teens had positive behavior effect," said the report.
A spending bill before Congress for the Department of Health and Human
Services would provide $141 million in assistance for community-based,
abstinence-only sex education programs, $4 million more than what
President Bush had requested.
The study, conducted by Douglas Kirby, a senior research scientist at
ETR Associates, also sought to debunk what the report called "myths
propagated by abstinence-only advocates" including: that comprehensive
sex education promotes promiscuity, hastens the initiative of sex or
increases its frequency, and sends a confusing message to adolescents.
None of these was found to be accurate, Kirby wrote.
Instead, he wrote, such programs improved teens' knowledge about the
risks and consequences of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases
and gave them greater "confidence in their ability to say 'no' to
unwanted sex."
The sponsors of the study praised Kirby for his "thorough research"
and for being "fair and evenhanded," but they also acknowledged that
ETR Associates developed and markets several of the sex education
curricula reviewed in the report. Several of the previous studies that
were reviewed also were written by Kirby.
The report noted that there continues to be "too high levels of sexual
risk-taking among teens" with 47 percent of all high schools students
reporting having sex at least once and 63 percent saying they have
engaged in sex by the spring semester of their senior year.
"Many teenagers do not use contraceptives carefully and consistently,"
said the report. About 40 of every 1,000 girls age 15 to 19 gave birth
in 2005, the last year for which data was available, the report said.