Abstinence-Only a Failure, Latest Research Shows 

San Francisco, September 16, 2008—As pregnant teens take the national stage and the merits of sexual education are suddenly being debated by pundits across the country, the latest research findings from the National Sexuality Resource Center’s Sexuality Research and Social Policy journal leave no room for doubt: abstinence-only education programs do not help teens delay initiation of sex, and there is no scientific evidence to support them. These findings in this study, from a review of sexuality education program evaluations by Douglas B. Kirby, are just a part of a collection of evidence in articles that uncover the problems in the abstinence-only education programs—programs  that have received up to $1.5 billion dollars in federal funding.

To underscore the importance of disseminating these findings, the National Sexuality Research Center and SRSP have agreed to make this special issue available without subscription until September 23, 2008. “We want people to know that abstinence-only education doesn’t work,” says SRSP editor Brian DeVries. “Sex educators know. Teens know. Parents know. And the research shows it. When will our policies and interventions reflect what science, research and best practices demonstrate? We need comprehensive sexuality education that is truly comprehensive.”

This special edition of SRSP, guest edited by John S. Santelli and Leslie M. Kantor, both with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, uncovers abstinence-only programs and policies rife with inaccuracies, misinformation and questionable ethics.

Key findings include:

• Abstinence-only programs violate the human rights of young people, including their ability to make health-protective decisions, according to “Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs and Their Impact on Adolescent Human Rights,” by Alice M. Miller and Rebecca Schleifer.


• Many abstinence-only programs provide inaccurate information on condom effectiveness, often implying that they do not protect against HIV, as shown by the research of Alison Jeanne Lin and John S. Santelli in “The Accuracy of Condom Information in Three Selected Abstinence-Only Education Curricula.”


• Douglas Kirby’s study, “The Impact of Abstinence and Comprehensive Sex and STD/HIV Education Programs on Adolescent Sexual Behavior,” reveals that most abstinence programs did not delay initiation of sex, and only 3 of 9 had any significant positive effects on any sexual behavior. In contrast, about two thirds of comprehensive programs showed strong evidence that they positively affected young people’s sexual behavior, including both delaying initiation of sex and increasing condom and contraceptive use among youth.


• States are abandoning abstinence-only education because they feel it is ineffective and inaccurate. Data from “State Refusal of Federal Funding for Abstinence-Only Programs,” by Marissa Raymond and colleagues, indicate that more states are advocating for comprehensive sexuality education, and that supporters of comprehensive sexuality education should focus on challenging the medical accuracy and efficacy of abstinence-only programs.


• In their comprehensive analysis of abstinence-only trends, “Abstinence-Only Policies and Programs: An Overview,” Leslie Kantor, John Santelli, Julien Teitler and Randall Balmer illustrate key demographic trends, the effects of virginity pledges, and the ways that abstinence-only programs are out of step with key human rights principles.

“The piece lacking from all the recent attention paid to teen pregnancy has been real data. This latest research brings that to the table,” said National Sexuality Resource Center’s Executive Director Gil Herdt. “It’s time for a re-visioning of how we help our young people grow into sexually healthy, sexually happy beings. We need to open up the conversation and talk about sexual wellness and sexual literacy as a lifelong process, and stop focusing on failed programs and policies.”

All articles are available until September 23 without subscription.

Download press release.