Experts say sex abstinence program doesn't work (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Programs teaching U.S.schoolchildren to abstain from sex have not cut teenpregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases or delayed the ageat which sex begins, health groups told Congress on Wednesday.

The Bush administration, however, voiced continuing supportfor such programs during a hearing before a House ofRepresentatives panel even as many Democrats called for cuttingoff federal money for so-called abstinence-only instruction.

"Vast sums of federal monies continue to be directed towardthese programs. And, in fact, there is evidence to suggest thatsome of these programs are even harmful and have negativeconsequences by not providing adequate information for thoseteens who do become sexually active," Dr. Margaret Blythe ofthe American Academy of Pediatrics told the committee.

These programs, backed by many social conservatives whooppose the teaching of contraception methods to teenagers inschools, have received about $1.3 billion in federal fundssince the late 1990s. Currently, 17 of the 50 U.S. statesrefuse to accept federal funds for such programs.

Experts from the American Public Health Association andU.S. Institute of Medicine testified that scientific studieshave not found that abstinence-only teaching works to cutpregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases or the age whensexual activity begins.

The American Psychological Association and American Collegeof Obstetricians and Gynecologists also issued statements tothe House Committee on Oversight and Government Reformcriticizing the abstinence-only programs.

Comprehensive sex education programs should emphasizeabstinence as the best way for a teenager to avoid pregnancy ora sexually transmitted disease (STD), Blythe said.

"Those adolescents who choose to abstain from sexualintercourse should obviously be encouraged and supported intheir decisions by their families, peers and communities. Butabstinence should not be the only strategy that is discussed,"Blythe said.

HIGH STD RATES

Lawmakers cited government statistics showing that one infour U.S. teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease and30 percent of U.S. girls become pregnant before the age of 20.

Republicans said even if some abstinence-only programs donot work, others do, and it would be wrong to end the funding.

Rep. John Duncan, a Tennessee Republican, said that itseems "rather elitist" that people with academic degrees inhealth think they know better than parents what type of sexeducation is appropriate. "I don't think it's something weshould abandon," he said of abstinence-only funding.

Charles Keckler of the U.S. Department of Health and HumanServices said the Bush administration believes abstinenceeducation programs send the healthiest message.

Stan Weed, director of the Institute for Research andEvaluation, a Utah-based group that researches abstinenceprograms, disagreed with the other health experts, sayingresearch cast doubt on the effectiveness of broader,comprehensive sex education programs.

Panel chairman Rep. Henry Waxman, a California Democrat,said, "We are showering funds on abstinence-only programs thatdon't appear to work, while ignoring proven comprehensive sexeducation programs that can delay sex, protect teens fromdisease, and result in fewer teen pregnancies."

"Meanwhile, we have no dedicated source of federal fundingspecifically for comprehensive classroom sex education," Waxmanadded.

(Editing by Maggie Fox and Todd Eastham)