Abstinence education: A program that survives scrutiny
- Sep 3, 2008 - comment
“Abstinence education is a failure.” Variations of that message are beginning to pop up in the media once again in light of recent events calling into question the effectiveness of these programs. There’s just one significant problem: It’s not true.
The truth is that a host of studies show that abstinence education has proven to be effective in reducing teen sexual activity and pregnancy rates.
No doubt, critics of the programs, which teach “abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage as the expected standard for all school age children,” will again point to a single 2004 report as the authoritative source of proof that the programs are ineffective and not worth a dime of funding. But a closer look at the notorious Waxman Report, a product of long-time abstinence education critic Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), reveals that it is nothing more than cherry-picked data used to diminish the proven results of abstinence education.
Within days of the report’s release, the Heritage Foundation issued its own report, dismantling the Waxman Report, claim by claim, and noting that it is “riddled with errors and inaccuracies.” Perhaps the most glaring erroneous assertion by the Waxman Report is that “abstinence-only education does not appear to decrease teen pregnancy or the risk of sexually transmitted diseases.” In reality, 10 evaluations—four of them peer-reviewed—of the programs had been conducted at that time showing abstinence education’s effectiveness. An additional study, according to Heritage, found that abstinence accounted for 67 percent of the decline in the pregnancy rate and 51 percent of the drop in birth rate among unmarried 15-to-19-year-old girls.
Rep. Waxman’s attack on abstinence education also included a round of shots at virginity pledge programs. But, again, his drumbeat of purported ineffectiveness and lack of positive results does not match what other studies are finding. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, cited by Heritage, found that adolescents who make a virginity pledge:
• Are one-third less likely to experience teen pregnancy;
• Are less likely to be sexually active while in high school and as young adults;
• Are less likely to give birth as teens or young adults;
• Are less likely to give birth out of wedlock;
• Are less likely to engage in risky unprotected sex; and
• Will have almost half as many sexual partners as non-pledgers.
So much for the Waxman Report’s claim that virginity pledge programs are all talk but do little to curb teen sexual activity.
Four years removed from the Waxman Report, more and more studies are validating abstinence education. Just last April, the Heritage Foundation compiled evidence from 21 studies to show that abstinence education is not a pie-in-the-sky message but a message that works. Eleven out of 15 studies that evaluated programs focusing primarily on teaching abstinence found that they have been successful. Among programs promoting virginity pledges, five out of six studies found positive results. Yet, these encouraging studies have received little fanfare.
Not surprisingly, a majority of the public favors teaching abstinence education. A 2007 Zogby International poll found that parents support the programs by a 2-to-1 margin, and more than 80 percent of parents agreed with the overall approach of abstinence education.
The abstinence message is not one of deprivation but preparation. It instills in students a healthy framework of sex, demonstrating why abstinence until marriage is the best choice and empowering them to make relational decisions that best prepare them for bright, successful futures.
Still, the Waxman Report and its offspring are sure to command media attention in the days to come. One must hope that Rep. Waxman and other standard-bearers of the comprehensive sex-education message will acknowledge the positive results of abstinence programs and abandon deceptive campaigns to discredit and defund these successful programs.
For More Information:
“Waxman Report Is Riddled with Errors and Inaccuracies,” Heritage Foundation, December 2, 2004
“Abstinence Education: Assessing the Evidence,” Heritage Foundation, April 22, 2008
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission works to encourage sexual purity and abstinence in the lives of single men and women across America. If you would like to learn more about this important issue, additional resources are available here. If your church is interested in purchasing bulletin inserts or other materials on sexual purity, please visit our online bookstore.
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