Experts say US sex abstinence program doesn't work
Last Updated: 2008-04-23 16:23:26 -0400 (Reuters Health)
By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Programs teaching U.S. schoolchildren to abstain
from
sex have not cut teen pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases or
delayed the age at which sex begins, health groups told Congress on
Wednesday.
The Bush administration, however, voiced continuing support for such
programs during a hearing before a House of Representatives panel even as
many Democrats called for cutting off federal money for so-called
abstinence-only instruction.
"Vast sums of federal monies continue to be directed toward these
programs.
And, in fact, there is evidence to suggest that some of these programs are
even harmful and have negative consequences by not providing adequate
information for those teens who do become sexually active," Dr. Margaret
Blythe of the American Academy of Pediatrics told the committee.
These programs, backed by many social conservatives who oppose the
teaching
of contraception methods to teenagers in schools, have received about $1.3
billion in federal funds since the late 1990s. Currently, 17 of the 50
U.S.
states refuse to accept federal funds for such programs.
Experts from the American Public Health Association and U.S. Institute of
Medicine testified that scientific studies have not found that
abstinence-only teaching works to cut pregnancies, sexually transmitted
diseases or the age when sexual activity begins.
The American Psychological Association and American College of
Obstetricians
and Gynecologists also issued statements to the House Committee on
Oversight
and Government Reform criticizing the abstinence-only programs.
Comprehensive sex education programs should emphasize abstinence as the
best
way for a teenager to avoid pregnancy or a sexually transmitted disease
(STD), Blythe said.
"Those adolescents who choose to abstain from sexual intercourse should
obviously be encouraged and supported in their decisions by their
families,
peers and communities. But abstinence should not be the only strategy that
is discussed," Blythe said.
HIGH STD RATES
Lawmakers cited government statistics showing that one in four U.S.
teenage
girls has a sexually transmitted disease and 30 percent of U.S. girls
become
pregnant before the age of 20.
Republicans said even if some abstinence-only programs do not work, others
do, and it would be wrong to end the funding.
Rep. John Duncan, a Tennessee Republican, said that it seems "rather
elitist" that people with academic degrees in health think they know
better
than parents what type of sex education is appropriate. "I don't think
it's
something we should abandon," he said of abstinence-only funding.
Charles Keckler of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said
the
Bush administration believes abstinence education programs send the
healthiest message.
Stan Weed, director of the Institute for Research and Evaluation, a
Utah-based group that researches abstinence programs, disagreed with the
other health experts, saying research cast doubt on the effectiveness of
broader, comprehensive sex education programs.
Panel chairman Rep. Henry Waxman, a California Democrat, said, "We are
showering funds on abstinence-only programs that don't appear to work,
while
ignoring proven comprehensive sex education programs that can delay sex,
protect teens from disease, and result in fewer teen pregnancies."
"Meanwhile, we have no dedicated source of federal funding specifically
for
comprehensive classroom sex education," Waxman added.
--
Pucker your lips for the Apocalypse!
Johnny Asia, Guitarist from the Future
http://music.download.com/johnnyasia
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