New Abstinence Study: We Were Wrong

The Washington Post reported yesterday that, "Sex education classes that focus on encouraging children to remain abstinent can persuade a significant proportion to delay sexual activity, researchers reported Monday in a landmark study that could have major implications for US efforts to protect young people against unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases."

The new survey is game-changing in that it will force those who have railed against abstinence, if they are willing to follow the data rather than ideology, to re-think their position.

The study, that was conducted in four different middle schools in a Northeastern city, among 662 African Americans found that about 33% of the students who went through the abstinence program started having sex, compared with about 52% who were taught only safe sex.

The Obama Administration has eliminated more than $170 million in annual federal funding targeted toward abstinence programs; this based on a series of reports that basically trashed abstinence. We sincerely hope he will re-think his decision in light of this and other surveys.

Perhaps the most telling statement comes from John B. Jemmott, III, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who led the federally funded study.

Click here to view a video report on our home page.

Professor Jemmott said, "I think we've written off abstinence-only education without looking closely at the nature of the evidence. Our study shows this could be one approach that could be used."

We were wrong.

Planned Parenthood, who stands to loose when abstinence is practiced, has manipulated the studies on the matter as well as the administration's funding policies---much like they are attempting to manipulate and destroy the pregnancy centers in Washington State.

The 16,000 member Christian Medical Association put out a press release yesterday in which CEO Dr. David Stevens said, "Science has finally caught up with logic and what parents have known for centuries by empirically demonstrating that equipping teens to abstain from sexual activity is an effective way to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases."

He also pointed to a survey posted on the National Abstinence Education Association website that shows a Zogby survey that found when parents become aware of what is actually taught in abstinence education, the support for abstinence programs jump from 40% to 60%, while support for comprehensive programs drops from 50% to 30%. Zogby also found that these findings are consistent across all political and economic groups.

This is not what parents have been led to believe by the abortion industry.

Dr. Stevens says, "It turns out that when it comes to educating their children on matters of sex, Mom and Dad really do know best."

Indeed.

And when science is driven by facts rather than ideology, our culture is strengthened, not weakened.

Thank you for your support in our endeavor to resist those things that destroy our culture and advance those that build and strengthen it.

God bless you.

__________________
Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom

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