Sex Abstinence Teaching Surveyed

A third of the schools in the United States teach their students that “just say no” is the only appropriate form of birth control, according to two studies released last month.

Conservatives, who have long promoted abstinence-only programs, were heartened that the idea appears to be catching on that abstaining from sex is the best way to avoid pregnancy. Advocates of more comprehensive programs saw the glass as two-thirds full: The two studies found that two of every three schools teach birth control methods alongside abstinence.

“Abstinence-only” policies teach students that they should wait until marriage, or at least until they are older, to have sex. Such policies leave out any discussion of birth control use, except to discuss its shortcomings.

The studies found that most other schools opt for “abstinence-plus” programs, which discourage sex but suggest use of contraception by students who choose to be sexually active anyway.

The reports are the first to document the scope of abstinence-only programs in American schools.

The first survey, by the Kaiser Family Foundation, asked secondary school principals about their sex education programs and found that 34% had abstinence-only as the main message. The second study, conducted independently by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, surveyed superintendents and found that 35% of those with policies teach abstinence as the only option.