Their View: Study shows that births declined before program
Since 1999, when Ohio required schools to teach that sexual abstinence is the only sure way to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, the state has become something of a national model. It is a dubious distinction, one that (Gov.) Ted Strickland now proposes to end.
Advocates of the approach cite declining teen pregnancy rates. But reports by the Alan Guttmacher Institute show significant declines were reported well before widespread government funding of abstinence-only programs, the reduction mostly was caused by improved contraceptive use by sexually active teens.
As Strickland noted, studies have failed to find a valid link between abstinence-only education and a decline in the sexual activity of teens.
He believes in a curriculum that includes abstinence, but also gives students a complete picture of how to protect themselves from pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
- Akron Beacon Journal
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