Dr. John B. Jemmott candidly admitted, “I think we’ve written off abstinence-only education without looking closely at the nature of the evidence.”
“A new landmark study shows that abstinence education is more effective in reducing sexual activity among youths than other programs.
One-third of students who completed the abstinence program had sexual intercourse within two years of the class. By comparison, more than half of those who participated in safe sex and condom use programs said they had sexual intercourse.
More than 40 percent of students who received either an eight- or 12-hour class combining both abstinence education and safe sex said they had sex within the two-year period.
The study, which appears in the February 2010 Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, published by the American Medical Association, followed black middle school students for a full two years after their completion of the abstinence class.
“Finally, a study that proves what those of us who have been teaching abstinence have known for years,” said Leslee Unruh, president and founder of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse. “These programs help develop self control and self esteem, teaching kids they do not need to fall prey to the game of Russian Roulette with condoms….” (Read the rest)