Experts say sex abstinence program doesn't work

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.

(Editing by Maggie Fox and Todd Eastham)

source:news.yahoo.com