Conservative groups are urging the Obama administration and Democratic leaders to take a second look at abstinence education after a federally funded landmark study showed that such programs were more successful than comprehensive sex education in stopping teen sex.
The study, published in the February journal of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, should be a game-changer in the debate over teens and sex, the groups say.
It followed 662 black sixth- and seventh-graders in urban middle schools over two years and found that 33.5 percent of those in programs promoting only abstinence had had sex by the end of the 24 months, compared to 48.5 percent of teens in a control group. The other two programs studied — one focusing only on safer sex and the other mixing an abstinence message with a safer sex message — did about as well as the control group.
President Obama axed Bush-era abstinence programs from his budget submitted last year, and conservatives now are encouraging him to place such funding back in the budget this year.
“If we are serious about reaching teens with the skills they need to resist sexual activity, the findings supporting the effectiveness of abstinence education should not be ignored,” said Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association.
The fact that the study received federal funding and wasn’t backed by any conservative-leaning groups is significant. In fact, the authors — John B. Jemmott III and Loretta S. Jemmott of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and Geoffrey T. Fong of the University of Waterloo in Canada — plainly state that other sex-education approaches should not be abandoned and that studies should be conducted to see if abstinence education would have the same positive impact on older teens.
But the authors also argue that, contrary to what many liberals have argued, abstinence education deserves a place at the table.
“The results of this randomized controlled trial are promising,” the authors wrote.
“They suggest that theory-based abstinence-only interventions can have positive effects on adolescents’ sexual involvement. This is important because abstinence is the only approach that is acceptable in some communities and settings in both the United States and other countries.”
The study found that teens who go through abstinence education and do have sex are no less likely to use condoms than those in the other programs. That finding counters an often-made objection by liberals who argue that abstinence education reduces condom use.
Richard Ross, co-founder of the True Love Waits Christian abstinence movement, said the study “demonstrates that the invitation to abstinence works best when it is not diluted by other messages.”
“But in the Church, our approach must be different,” said Ross, a professor of student ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
“Helping teenagers consider pros and cons is fine. But their commitment to total life purity is exponentially greater when their primary motivation is the person of Christ,” he said. “Those who adore Him and welcome the power of His Spirit stand the best chance of coming to their wedding day in innocence.” (BP)
Share with others: