Bush Administration’s Abstinence-Only Sex Ed Doesn’t Work
October 14th 2007 04:19
The Bush administration will not allow funds from the U.S. government to promote condoms or provide them to teenagers in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a study released in September by the Guttmacher Institute. The study looked at the sexual behavior of Sub-Saharan African teenagers. The study, titled, “Learning from Adolescents to Prevent HIV and Unintended Pregnancy,” pointed out that teens older than fifteen can be told about condoms, but condom usage cannot be promoted. Teens under fifteen cannot be told about condoms.
The study provides evidence that abstinence only sex education does not work, either at home or abroad. The author of the study, Heather Boonstra, points out that Europe has lower levels of teen pregnancy than the U.S. Boonstra said, “Levels of adolescent pregnancy and childbearing are much lower in western Europe than in the United States, which suggests the effectiveness of this approach.” Western European countries provide sex education for adolescents that include promoting the use of condoms to avoid unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who served from 2002 to 2006, testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in July, stating that the Bush administration blocked him from reporting on the effectiveness abstinence-only sex education. Carmona said, “There was already a policy in place that did not want to hear the science but wanted to just preach abstinence, which I felt was scientifically incorrect.”
Congress authorized a study of abstinence-only sexual education, which was released in April 2007. Conducted in cities in the states of Mississippi, Florida, Wisconsin, and Virginia, the study looked at 2,057 U.S. adolescents. The study discovered that about half of teens who received abstinence-only sex education and half of the teens who did not abstained from sex.
Access to contraception lowers abortion rates. A 2007 study on worldwide abortion rates and trends reported that about 42 million abortions occurred in 2003 and 46 million in 1995. Forty-eight percent of all abortions performed worldwide were unsafe, and over 97% of the unsafe abortions were in developing countries. The study concluded that abortion rates fall when contraception is readily available. According to the study, “Legalization of abortion and access to abortion services do not lead to increased reliance on abortion for fertility control in the long term; in developed countries with these conditions, the predominant trend in abortion rates has been downward.”
The Society of Adolescent Medicine reviewed abstinence-only programs in 2006 and concluded that they “threaten fundamental human rights to health, information, and life.” The review also indicted the U.S. government for emphasizing abstinence-only programs in developing countries. According to the review, the emphasis on abstinence “may also have reduced condom availability and access to accurate information on HIV/AIDS in some countries.”
A 2004 report titled, “The Content of Federally Funded Abstinence-Only Education Programs,” prepared for Rep. Henry Waxman, found that 80% of the information provided by Special Programs of Regional and Significance Community-Based Abstinence Education (SPRANS), funded by the federal government, is false or misleading. The study specifically cited the information SPRANS provides on condoms, HIV/AIDS, and the risks of abortion.
The study provides evidence that abstinence only sex education does not work, either at home or abroad. The author of the study, Heather Boonstra, points out that Europe has lower levels of teen pregnancy than the U.S. Boonstra said, “Levels of adolescent pregnancy and childbearing are much lower in western Europe than in the United States, which suggests the effectiveness of this approach.” Western European countries provide sex education for adolescents that include promoting the use of condoms to avoid unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who served from 2002 to 2006, testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in July, stating that the Bush administration blocked him from reporting on the effectiveness abstinence-only sex education. Carmona said, “There was already a policy in place that did not want to hear the science but wanted to just preach abstinence, which I felt was scientifically incorrect.”
Congress authorized a study of abstinence-only sexual education, which was released in April 2007. Conducted in cities in the states of Mississippi, Florida, Wisconsin, and Virginia, the study looked at 2,057 U.S. adolescents. The study discovered that about half of teens who received abstinence-only sex education and half of the teens who did not abstained from sex.
Access to contraception lowers abortion rates. A 2007 study on worldwide abortion rates and trends reported that about 42 million abortions occurred in 2003 and 46 million in 1995. Forty-eight percent of all abortions performed worldwide were unsafe, and over 97% of the unsafe abortions were in developing countries. The study concluded that abortion rates fall when contraception is readily available. According to the study, “Legalization of abortion and access to abortion services do not lead to increased reliance on abortion for fertility control in the long term; in developed countries with these conditions, the predominant trend in abortion rates has been downward.”
The Society of Adolescent Medicine reviewed abstinence-only programs in 2006 and concluded that they “threaten fundamental human rights to health, information, and life.” The review also indicted the U.S. government for emphasizing abstinence-only programs in developing countries. According to the review, the emphasis on abstinence “may also have reduced condom availability and access to accurate information on HIV/AIDS in some countries.”
A 2004 report titled, “The Content of Federally Funded Abstinence-Only Education Programs,” prepared for Rep. Henry Waxman, found that 80% of the information provided by Special Programs of Regional and Significance Community-Based Abstinence Education (SPRANS), funded by the federal government, is false or misleading. The study specifically cited the information SPRANS provides on condoms, HIV/AIDS, and the risks of abortion.
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Comment by Luke
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
Every now and again the Western World stuns me with yet another groundbreaking show of ignorance.
Comment by Gina-Marie Cheeseman
The Truthteller
My next post will be about fundamentalist American Christians. Most are not terrible people, but they are terribly led astray.
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
at 30-ish percent they are quite the minority!
Fundamentalist American Christians think they have a right to manipulate the political system because in hteir heart of hearts they're convinced America is gods gift to them.
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
You're spot on. Western Europe is on target in this one. Teaching only about abstinence is negligent. I can't believe that in the sue-happy US that someone hasn't gotten pregnant and sued the government or public schools for not teaching about contraception.
Comment by Gina-Marie Cheeseman
The Truthteller