S.C. abstinence-based sex ed approved by HHS

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Heritage Keepers, an abstinence-based sex education curriculum offered by Heritage Community Services in Charleston, S.C., has been approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after a study found it effective in delaying sexual initiation among youth.

The study involved 2,215 students in grades 7–9 and demonstrated that those receiving the Heritage Keepers curriculum were significantly less likely to become sexually active at the 12-month follow-up than those in a comparison group.

For those in the comparison group, sexual experience increased from 29.2 percent to 43.2 percent, compared to an increase from 29.1 percent to 33.7 percent among those who participated in Heritage Keepers. The HHS has specific metrics with which to determine if a program is “effective,” and Heritage Keepers is the only abstinence-based program to this point to gain this HHS status.