Future Of Abstinence-Only Education Unclear Under New Administration, Congress

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 18 Feb 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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Supporters of abstinence-only education are concerned that federal funding for the programs will not be renewed under the Obama administration, the Economist reports. Former President George W. Bush, a proponent of abstinence-only education, helped push funding for the programs to more than $175 million annually, but the "fate of that money, and of abstinence education itself, is uncertain under a new administration and Congress," according to the Economist. The programs' prospects should become clearer when President Obama submits the first draft of his budget to Congress later this month. Meanwhile, supporters of abstinence-only methods say that the government should let school districts decide which type of sex education to offer.

The federal government has spent more than $1.5 billion on abstinence-only education programs, the Economist reports. The U.S. continues to have one of the highest teen pregnancy rates of any developed country, a fact that critics of the programs attribute to a lack of education about contraception. Supporters of the programs maintain that the media and U.S. culture are to blame, arguing that more money for abstinence-only education could help offset increases in teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Sarah Brown of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy said that no randomized study has shown that abstinence-only education delays sexual activity. In addition, a University of Washington study suggests that teens who receive comprehensive sex education are 50% less likely than those in abstinence-only programs to become pregnant. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) has introduced a bill (H.R. 463) that would fund "medically accurate" comprehensive sex education, which is expected to pass, according to the Economist (Economist, 2/12).

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