Abstinence Education Works After All
- Linda Chavez - GOPUSA
- Feb 5, 2010
Abstinence-only sex education has been a favorite target of the cultural elite, who argued it was naive at best and dangerous at worst. Now, a new study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine suggests that encouraging young teens to just say no to sex may be the most effective method at delaying early sexual activity. The study, the first of its kind to employ rigorous research methods in a controlled setting, showed that programs that encouraged 12- to 14-year-old students to refrain from sexual activity "until they are ready" were more effective than other approaches.
The study followed 662 African-American students in urban schools, a group that, on average -- previous research shows -- become sexually active at a young age. The students were randomly assigned to one of four groups. One group was given abstinence-only sex education. Another was given sex education that stressed condom use. A third group was given contraceptive information but was also encouraged to delay sexual activity. And a control group was given only general health information.
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