Sex education programs that advise students to delay sexual activity while also offering instruction on ways to avoid unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections effectively reduce risky sexual behavior, increase condom use and decrease spread of STIs, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-commissioned report released on Friday, the Washington Post reports. The report said there is insufficient evidence to determine whether programs that focus on abstinence until marriage reduce the chance adolescents will engage in risky sexual behavior, become pregnant or contract an STI.
The report was authored by a 19-member expert panel assembled by CDC to examine the efficacy of various sex education programs. For the report, the panel reviewed an analysis of 83 studies on sex education programs from 1980 through 2007. The findings come as Congress considers whether to approve President Obama's request to redirect federal funding from abstinence-only sex education to programs that have been validated by scientific research.
CDC's Randy Elder -- who works with the Task Force on Community Preventive Services, an independent 15-member panel that issues public health recommendations -- said the study found "sufficient evidence that comprehensive risk reduction efforts are effective." However, "after a similar look, the task force determined that based on a number of problems with the studies presented to them there was insufficient evidence" to determine the efficacy of abstinence-only programs, Elder said.
Showing posts with label abstinence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label abstinence. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Finance Committee Preserves Abstinence-Only Funding
Over at the Senate Finance Committee, Republicans who have expended a lot of energy claiming that the federal government can't do anything right won a vote preserving $50 million a year for "abstinence-only" education programs.
President Obama’s first budget eliminated federal funding for such programs, instead putting money into “evidence-based” teen pregnancy prevention programs. But now, writes The New Republic's Suzy Khimm, "the Finance Committee vote could mean that Bush’s legacy will continue well past Obama’s first term, funding the so-called Title V block grants to states through 2014."
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the sponsor of the amendment that won by a 12-11 vote, appeared to recognize the dichotomy inherent in his efforts.
"“My first choice would be to not have the federal government involved in any way in these types of education programs,” Hatch said in a press statement. “However, if the federal government is going to spend money on educating people about sexual decisions, the absence of an abstinence only education program has negative health consequences for our nation’s most vulnerable citizens.”
Khimm put it this way: "In other words, if the federal government is going to go there, we might as well pile on."
A 2007 survey of more than 2,000 teenagers carried out by a research company on behalf of Congress found that the half of the sample given abstinence-only education displayed exactly the same predilection for sex as those who had received conventional sex education in which contraception was discussed. Twenty-three states currently have rejected abstinence-only funds, even in the midst of a deep recession that has left states starving for funding.
Immediately after the Hatch amendment vote, the committee also voted 14-9 to approve an amendment sponsored by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) that supported a more comprehensive approach to sex education passed. The amendment will provide funding to a wide range of teen wellness programs, including those dealing with contraception and HIV/AIDS. Those funds will support abstinence education programs that are deemed “medically accurate and complete.”
President Obama’s first budget eliminated federal funding for such programs, instead putting money into “evidence-based” teen pregnancy prevention programs. But now, writes The New Republic's Suzy Khimm, "the Finance Committee vote could mean that Bush’s legacy will continue well past Obama’s first term, funding the so-called Title V block grants to states through 2014."
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the sponsor of the amendment that won by a 12-11 vote, appeared to recognize the dichotomy inherent in his efforts.
"“My first choice would be to not have the federal government involved in any way in these types of education programs,” Hatch said in a press statement. “However, if the federal government is going to spend money on educating people about sexual decisions, the absence of an abstinence only education program has negative health consequences for our nation’s most vulnerable citizens.”
Khimm put it this way: "In other words, if the federal government is going to go there, we might as well pile on."
A 2007 survey of more than 2,000 teenagers carried out by a research company on behalf of Congress found that the half of the sample given abstinence-only education displayed exactly the same predilection for sex as those who had received conventional sex education in which contraception was discussed. Twenty-three states currently have rejected abstinence-only funds, even in the midst of a deep recession that has left states starving for funding.
Immediately after the Hatch amendment vote, the committee also voted 14-9 to approve an amendment sponsored by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) that supported a more comprehensive approach to sex education passed. The amendment will provide funding to a wide range of teen wellness programs, including those dealing with contraception and HIV/AIDS. Those funds will support abstinence education programs that are deemed “medically accurate and complete.”
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