|
Excerpt from the full fact sheet:
Quotes from "Abstinence-Only" Curricula and Materials
"If premarital sex came in a bottle, it would probably have to carry a Surgeon General's warning, something like the one on a package of cigarettes. There's no way to have premarital sex without hurting someone."
-- from Sex Respect®
"For condoms to be used properly, over 10 specific steps must be followed every time which tends to minimize the romance and spontaneity of the sex act."
-- from Choosing the Best®
"'What if I want to have sex before I get married? . . . Well I guess you just have to be prepared to die. And you'll probably take with you your spouse and one or more of your children with you.'"
-- from No Second Chance video | Ideology, not science, has been driving America's response to the twin epidemics of teen pregnancy and STD/HIV infections. Funding for "abstinence-only" censorship programs increased dramatically during the Bush administration. All told, "abstinence-only" programs have received more than $1.5 billion in federal funds since 1982. This huge expenditure conflicts with scientific and medical research: "abstinence-only" programs are not proven effective and may in fact result in riskier behavior by teenagers. Responsible sex-education programs, on the other hand, have demonstrated positive results such as delayed initiation of sex, reduced frequency of sex, and increased contraceptive use.
Ideologically driven groups, not scientific or public-health organizations, have pushed the proliferation of "abstinence-only" programs. In fact, current scientific research fails to show that such programs are effective. Studies of "abstinence-only" programs have found that most programs do not delay the initiation of sex, reduce the number of partners of those who are sexually active, or have any lasting, positive effect on young people's sexual behavior.
"Abstinence-only" programs can harm teens by putting them at risk of pregnancy and STDs. They fail to provide information about contraception beyond failure rates, and, in some cases, provide misinformation. Without complete and accurate information, some teens may forgo contraception use altogether. By denying adolescents such information and by censoring teachers, "abstinence-only" programs endanger the reproductive health of our youth.
On the other hand, research indicates that more comprehensive sex-education programs that discuss both abstinence and contraception have positive effects. Therefore, Congress should enact policies that effectively address this crisis by directing federal funds to responsible sex-education programs that provide our youth with age-appropriate and medically accurate information.
Download the fact sheet (PDF) |
