In November, the release of Emerging Answers 2007: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, a report authored by Douglas Kirby, PhD, a leading researcher in adolescent health, confirmed, once again, that the $1.5 billion federal and state investment in abstinence-only-until-marriage programs is a waste of taxpayer money.
The report, commissioned by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, examined both comprehensive sex education and abstinence-only programs. Of the 48 programs included in the study, the only programs that delayed sexual initiation were comprehensive sex education programs. Moreover, the report clearly states "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."
To read the full press release, please visit:
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/news/press/110707.htm
For more on abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, please visit:
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/abstinenceonly.htm
The programs don't work, and yet we keep funding them!
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