Abstinence Doesn't Work.

Is anyone surprised?

Programs that focus exclusively on abstinence have not been shown to affect teenager sexual behavior, although they are eligible for tens of millions of dollars in federal grants, according to a study released by a nonpartisan group that seeks to reduce teen pregnancies.

"At present there does not exist any strong evidence that any abstinence program delays the initiation of sex, hastens the return to abstinence or reduces the number of sexual partners" among teenagers, the study concluded.

The report, which was based on a review of research into teenager sexual behavior, was being released Wednesday by the nonpartisan National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

Let’s bear in mind that a bill before Congress would provide $141 million in assistance for community-based, abstinence-only sex-ed programs, a sum that is $4 million more than what Bush has requested. Let’s save $141,000,000, shall we?

More here.

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Yet another piece of evidence for the futility
It is clearly true that those who abstain in sexual intercourse are not at risk of becoming pregnant (with apologies to the Virgin Mary).
For those of us who have been wondering whether Bush is really on the so-con bandwagon or was just pretending to be in order to court their votes in the last election, here is one bit of evidence for
According to a congressionally-mandated study by Mathematica Policy Research Inc., preaching sexual abstinence -- or more popularly, "just say no" -- to this nation's youth has been absolutely ineffective. Big surprise, no?

Is this what the Bush Administration means when they talk about faith-based programs? Faith that it might start working one of these days.

Well, abstinence does actually work. It's "educational" programs that try to instll abstinence in teenagers via ignorance that don't work. Unfortunately, our saviors in the Democratic congress voted to continue to throw money at this wasteful boondoggle.

What about increasing science education and throw in more computer gaming? Making everyone nerds without a life should be fairly efficient. Internet porn doesn't make you pregnant. Where do I collect the money for this suggestion that can't be worse than the one tried?