Abstinence Only Education Doesn't Work Statistics
In 2022, 81% of US public high schools offered abstinence only education as the primary sex education approach, yet many classrooms lacked essentials like certified health educators or STI testing access. Two scientific review papers find abstinence-only-until-marriage programs and policies in the United States are ineffective because they do not delay sexual initiation or reduce sexual risk behaviors. If we're spending billions on a lesson plan that teaches fear instead of facts, the mounting evidence proves abstinence-only education is not just ineffective but dangerously counterproductive.
When push comes to shove, abstinence only sex education makes very little impact on making teens want to stop having sex. Only 30% of kids are going to abstain from sex until the age of 20, not counting those who get married. This document explores some of the claims that have been put forward to support federal funding for abstinence-only education rather than for comprehensive sex education.
These data show clearly that abstinence-only education as a state policy is ineffective in preventing teenage pregnancy and may actually be contributing to the high teenage pregnancy rates in the U.S. The analysis confirms previous public health findings that abstinence-only education programs don't succeed in reducing rates of teen pregnancies or STDs. However, programs that promote abstinence-only-until-marriage (AOUM) or sexual risk avoidance are scientifically and ethically problematic andas suchhave been widely rejected by medical and public health professionals.
Abstinence-only programs are not sex educationthey are misinformation campaigns that fail to meet the needs of young people. Congress must stop funding programs that stigmatize sex, ignore or bully LGBTQ+ children, or reinforce harmful gender norms. A 2018 meta-analysis by the University of Illinois found no statistically significant effect of abstinence-only education on reducing teen pregnancy rates.
