On April 13, 2007 the long awaited Mathematica evaluation of abstinence only-until-marriage programs was finally published. Its conclusion: Abstinence-only education does not work to change young people’s behavior.

This long-term, scientific report, requested by Congress, should sound the death knell for these ineffective and dangerous programs. Consider that:

• More than ten state evaluations also show that abstinence-only programs failed to change young people’s behavior
• Seventeen states have rejected the federal abstinence-only funding because the program wastes precious public health dollars
• The Government Accountability Office issued a report recently admonishing HHS for not better monitoring these programs for scientific accuracy
• The Institute of Medicine has called for the termination of abstinence-only programs because they represent “poor fiscal and public health policy.”
• The Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and every other mainstream medical organization supports a more comprehensive approach to sex education that includes information on both abstinence and contraception.

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Also:

• The Report: Impact of Four Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Programs 
• The History of Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funding
• Policy Brief—Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs: Ineffective, Unethical, and Poor Public Health
• The Truth About Abstinence-Only Programs
• Ignoring the Stop Signs on Abstinence-Only Funding (citations included)