Story from the Heritage Foundation. (H/T The Washington Post via Neil Simpson)
Excerpt:
A new study concludes that abstinence-only education had a significant and long-term effect in reducing teen sexual activity. “The abstinence-only intervention reduced sexual initiation,” reports the study, which is featured in the most recent issue of the medical journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, published by the American Medical Association.
The study found that a short eight-hour abstinence program reduced sexual activity among youth by a third. Despite the brevity of the abstinence training the effects lasted a full two years after students left the classroom. Moreover, if students who took the abstinence course did become sexually active they were not less likely to use contraception.
In contrast, study found that alternative types of sex ed failed. “Safe sex” programs (which promote contraception only) and “comprehensive sex ed” programs (which teach both abstinence and contraceptive use), had no effect on teen sexual behavior. These programs neither reduced teen sex nor did they increase contraceptive use among teens, which is their major emphasis.
These findings are based on a randomized controlled experiment, the gold standard in program evaluation and designed to produce unbiased results. The study analyzed 662 African-American 6th and 7th grade students in four public middle schools serving low-income communities in a northeastern U.S. city. They were randomly assigned to participate in an eight-hour abstinence-only program, an eight-hour “safe sex” program, an eight- or twelve-hour comprehensive sex education program, or a general health-only, non-sex ed program, which represented the control group in the experiment.
Bolstered by its rigorous randomized controlled design, this study provides important new findings. It strengthens the existing body of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of abstinence education. A 2008 Heritage study, for example, reviewed 15 studies of authentic abstinence programs and found that 11 of the 15 studies reported positive behavioral changes among teens.
But all was not well:
Sadly, despite the social science evidence, the Obama administration and Congress have eliminated all federal spending on abstinence education and, instead, have created additional funding for comprehensive sex education.
Why do the secular-left Democrats like Obama oppose abstinence and chastity? Planned Parenthood is paid for each abortion. They also get subsidies from taxpayer money collected by the federal government. And from their profits, they make political contributions to Democrats. Just like global warming, it’s all about the money.
One last thing. I’m nearing my mid-thirties, and I am very happily chaste. So it’s not true that “everyone is doing it”.
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WINTERY KNIGHT 
they probably oppose it since teenage pregnancies have increased despite abstinence only programs:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/OBGYN/Pregnancy/18162
You will notice that the most liberal states have the lowest teenage pregnancies and birthrates while the conservative states have the highest.
While abstinence only works for some, it doesn’t work for all and your single-minded approach fails too many, especially in very conservative areas.
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“…doesn’t work for all”
How? Abstinence is the only method with a proven ZERO PERCENT pregnancy rate. Keep it in the pants, and learn some self control. Claiming “abstinence doesn’t work” just tells me that people are lazy, and can’t be bothered to exercise a little willpower.
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In any case, the study shows that abstinence DOES work, and it’s a rigorous study. We need more like it, but I am afraid that this will be censored just like skeptics of global warming and evolution get censored and denied research funds.
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I wasn’t saying that abstinence doesn’t work – I don’t think you will find anyone that claims that – I was saying abstinence only teaching doesn’t work for all. Studies have shown that even the puritans had sex out of wedlock and would get pregnant (how do they know this – the average first pregnancy was only about 7 or 8 months for many newlyweds – that is, the child was born 7 to 8 months after they were married and the child was healthy and survived).
Anyways, people are lazy and most don’t want to exercise a little willpower, so trying to impose your will on them isn’t going to change what they want to do.
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Not teaching abstinence doesn’t work either.
Abstinence teaches self-control, failing that we should teach people plan B.
Having said that abstinence need to be the priority since it is better to prevent than to deal with damage.
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Do you seriously think that people go to work for Planned Parenthood for the money?
And I suppose that people go to work for Goldman Sachs because they support the ideals of the free market system, and they are above making money?
Your blog post started intelligently, then went downhill.
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Thanks for your comment. I stand by my assertion that abortion is primarily driven by greed. I’ve gone my whole life without shedding anyone’s blood for any reason, and I certainly would not do it for money.
Didn’t you just ask me a while back if people believe in global warming just for the money? This was before the report emerged that the Chairman of the United Nations IPCC KNEW that the Himalayas glacier claim was a hoax, but that he used them to secure HUGE research grants ANYWAY.
Please respond. I need to know if global warming alarmists like the IPCC chairman are doing what they do for the money, or is it because they prefer communism like Obama’s Green Czar Van Jones, or is it to ease their “Left Behind” delusions of overpopulation by imposing mass sterilization and coerced abortions, like Obama’s Climate Czar John Holdren wanted?
By the way, greedy climate profiteer Al Gore is set to become the world’s first carbon billionaire.
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Why stop abstinence once you’re married? This couple knows that true love waits and waits. And waits.
http://www.larknews.com/archives/217
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That’s a satire, you monkey. It’s made up!
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