Abstinence-Only Programs: What Part of 'They Don't Work' Is Hard to Understand?

By Julia Kaye, National Women's Law Center

Tuesday night, in a "hat-tip" to common-sense and efficacy, the Senate Finance Committee approved an amendment introduced by Chairman Baucus to provide funding for evidence-based comprehensive sex education. The Chairman introduced his amendment as an alternative to an amendment introduced by Senator Hatch, which would restore $50 million in annual funding for abstinence-only programs through 2014. The Chairman and his staff explained that abstinence-only programs would still be eligible for the new pot of teen pregnancy prevention money -- they simply had to prove, like any other pregnancy prevention program, that the program is effective and that the information it provides is medically-accurate and complete. Fair, no?

The Committee didn't think so. Fearing, I suppose, that abstinence-only programs would not meet the standards for the new pregnancy prevention funding and loathe, it seems, to end the dedicated funding stream to ab-only programs (which have been demonstrated ineffective by study after study after studies), the Committee also approved Senator Hatch's amendment (in a 12-11 vote).

As we've previously discussed, over 80 percent of abstinence-only curricula provide information about contraception and other reproductive health services that is medically inaccurate, exaggerated, and misleading, such as grossly exaggerated failure rates for condoms, false information about the risks of abortion, and subjective, moral judgments treated as scientific fact. The abstinence-only curriculum, Me, My World, My Future (1998), used by eight federal grantees, refers to a 43 day-old fetus as a "thinking person." Why kNOw (2002), a curriculum used by seven grantees, asks rhetorically "could condoms be just another stupid idea?"

Some federally funded abstinence-only programs also promote stereotypes about gender and relationships. WAIT Training, a curriculum used by nine former federal grantees, lists "Financial Support" as one of the "5 Major Needs of Women," and "Domestic Support" as one of the "5 Major Needs of Men." Moreover, all abstinence-only programs discriminate against GLBTQ teens, and all programs stigmatize adolescents without two, heterosexual, married parents, and youths who do not foresee themselves one day living in a traditional family structure.

Baucus' common-sense amendment is in line with President Obama's 2010 budget proposal, which would phase out abstinence-only funding in favor of comprehensive sex education programs. The amendment would provide $50 million annually to states for evidence-based, medically accurate and age-appropriate programs to educate adolescents on both abstinence and contraception, as well as at least three "adulthood preparation subjects," such as healthy relationships and financial literacy. The amendment also provides an additional $25 million for innovative teen pregnancy prevention strategies, allotments to tribes, and research, evaluation and technical assistance.

This article originally appeared on the website of the National Women's Law Center.

 

Comments

[cdouglas]

Conservatives can only define themselves by opposition. They are not women, they are not gay, they are not liberal. They fight tooth and nail to oppose these PEOPLE (not ideas), as the only way to define who they are. Keeping young women from getting an education is one of their main objectives. Unlike other religious fanatics who just bomb a girls-school, they go about it in more "subtle" ways.

[BoyInBOYCOTT]

NOT one more dime for the DEADLY G*D DAMN idiocy of abstinence only LIES.
Are the politicians going to go door to door apologising to all your kids they lied to who now have AIDS?
8 years of FICTION during a deadly pandemic should be CRIMINAL!

[Senzasord]

Abstinence Only programs represent the republican pandering to the religious conservatives in their base. I truly resent my tax dollars being squandered on these right wing programs that are ineffective and that erode the separation of church and state that sets America above so many of the other strife torn regions of the world.

[caterpol]

To err is human. As the abstience only, monogamy only, anti-birth control crowd knows full well from PERSONAL experience spanning time immortal.

It seems that the unfairness lies between those who can afford to make such a mistake or take precautions, and those who cannot.

[glitterik]

My small office has 3 young women who had babies in the mid (not late) teens. The poorest one has had her third child at the ripe old age of 22, and another is pregnant again by a 2nd partner. None of these women breastfed, of course. And none ever finished high school.

[lde10475]

Republicans are forever saying that it is not the job of schools to teach their children about morality and ethics. Abstinence only is just that. It is about their moral belief that abstinence is the only "moral" path to walk. We should be providing our students with a comprehensive education on their reproductive systems, including a multitude of ways to prevent pregnancy and accurate, research based information on how effective or ineffective these methods are. Parents can then supplement this education with an at home discussion on what decisions they think are the most "moral" ones. The erroneous idea that teaching teenagers about birth control is tantamount to giving them permission is ludicrous. Are teenagers old enough to be responsible for their own reproductive health?????? That's not the question. The ARE responsible for it. Nobody can completely police the actions of a teenager.

[Socrmom]

Not to mention the fact that these teenages will soon BE adults, who will then know next to nothing about birth control. Everything we teach kids in school is to help them in their adult life - why not birth control?

[TryToBeFlexible]

It depends on how you define success of a program.

This program is designed to get votes from the dumb and dumber crowd. It is highly successful by that measure.

[Jaywalkker]

SUCCESS by popularity contest =/= SUCCESS by objective statistical analysis, conducted over years with larger and larger pools of participants and crossing all geographic­/demograph­ic/economi­c strata.

[COPerez]

Republicans are for something that FAILS?

Hmmmm:

Bush
Iraq
Reagan
Iran-Contra
De-funding regulatory agencies
No Child Left Behind
Unregulated Financial Markets
etc.
etc.

[Socrmom]

Abstinence-only education is my pet peeve. I would love to see it go the way of the dinosaur (and it appears that only the dinosaurs are voting to fund it). I moved from a very Blue State, MA, to a very Red State, AZ, and was appalled to find out that my children would be getting no comprehensive sex education. Past the basics taught in elementary school, they don't even receive any medically based health education. And their abstinence only education is taught by - wait for it - Catholic Charities! Not the people I want having anything at all to do with my children's reproductive education. I have yet to figure out what it is about contraception that scares the Republicans so badly.

[shryock]

women taking control of their own bodies and their sexual lives scares the republicans.
sad to say, it always seems to be men who are talking about controlling pregnancy and sexuality.
giving up control of women's bodies and women's lives will be very difficult for the republicans.
making them let us vote was difficult.
making them allow pain relief in delivery rooms was even more difficult.
making them let us decide what sex is and when we want to have children... very frightening.