Abstinence-only sex ed 'foolish,' 'indefensible' method of reducing teen pregnancies, STIs

May 1 2007

Relying on abstinence-only sex education as the "primary tool to reduce teenage pregnancies" and sexually transmitted infections, as "favored by the Bush administration and conservatives in Congress, looks increasingly foolish and indefensible," a New York Times editorial says.

Abstinence-only efforts always have been "driven more by ideology than by sound public health policy," the editorial says, adding that there is "growing evidence that the programs have no effect on children's sexual behavior." The editorial says that as "Congress prepares to debate further financing, it should either drop the abstinence-only program as a waste of money or broaden it to include safe-sex instruction," concluding, "Abstinence deserves to be part of a comprehensive sex education effort, but not the only part" ( New York Times , 4/28).