Reichley Column: Bring back abstinence education

In late 2007, Governor Kaine eliminated state funding for abstinence-based education programs, forfeiting matching grants from the federal government. His decision was based on a study funded by the Department of HHS released in April of 2007 about abstinence education programs. Kaine claimed "the research shows programs that are abstinence-only are not successful."

Governor Bob McDonnell, who was then the attorney general, was critical of Kaine's decision. Proponents of abstinence education cited other studies which showed that the Title V Abstinence programs in Virginia were effective, producing an almost 50 percent drop in the initiation of sexual activity. Fauquier County's program was shown to reduce teen sex by 60 percent.

Kaine's cancellation of the program was part of a larger assault by certain groups against abstinence-only education. For example, last November the Douglas Freeman High School in Richmond invited a pro-abstinence speaker for a non-mandatory student assembly. This sparked complaints from GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) and NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, as well as some teachers at the school.

The HHS-funded study, which included a program in Powhatan Virginia, had several flaws. For example, the study and control groups were in the same schools. Since one way abstinence programs work is to provide positive peer pressure to counter the societal pressure for sexual experiences, the control group could benefit without attending the classes.

Also, the study focused on long-term changes rather than near-term benefits. In fact, the study repeatedly mentions the "near-term" gains. But preventing 13-year-olds from having sex is a good thing, even if it doesn't affect 18-year-olds.

And oddly, the study ignored the frequency of sex. It asked whether kids had sex or not, and how many different partners -- but never asked how many times kids had sex. So it could be the abstinence-only programs reduced the number of times kids had sex.

Interestingly, the study debunked a popular myth touted by the anti-abstinence crowd, showing that those in the abstinence-only program who had sex used condoms and birth control at the same rate as the control group.

Now, a new study has been released, and it shows what previous studies reported -- abstinence-only education does work.

The study by the University of Pennsylvania, released Feb. 1, compared training programs specifically designed to measure the impact of various teaching methods. The study focused exclusively on African-American students in grades six and seven.

The study implemented a set of four programs of eight to 12 hours taught over a series of Saturdays. In addition to the abstinence-only group, they had groups for safer sex-only training, a combined abstinence and safer-sex training, and a generic health-promotion control group.

Researchers found that abstinence-only training reduced sexual activity 33 percent over the control group. Also, among those who were sexually active, the abstinence-only training reduced reports of recent sex by 31 percent. And once again, the study showed no difference in the use of condoms between the abstinence group and the group that received "comprehensive" training.

The lead author of the study, Professor John B. Jemmott III, PhD touts the importance of delaying sexual activity, noting for example that younger children are less likely to use condoms. Regarding the study, he says "abstinence-only interventions may have an important role in delaying sexual activity until a time later in life when the adolescent is more prepared to handle to consequences of sex. This can reduce undesirable consequences of sex, including pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS."

Unfortunately, the Obama administration has cancelled the federal abstinence matching program, although this study should prompt the House and Senate to reconsider. Even so, it's time for Virginia to go back to supporting abstinence-only education.

Budgets are certainly tight. But the amount of money we are talking about is small, and the state fiscally benefits from having fewer teens getting pregnant or preventing the spread of sexually-transmitted disease among children. But even if we can't fund programs, the state can act to remove barriers to abstinence education and make it easier for schools to offer programs.

There are volunteer organizations willing to offer help in abstinence training. These are good programs, as seen by earlier studies in Virginia showing the benefits of their training. This new study suggests that even short-term focused abstinence-only training can provide some benefit.

It's time for the state to stop opposing abstinence-only education and to go back to providing support for this proven method of reducing teen sexual activity.

Charles Reichley has been a Prince William County resident since 1981. He can be reached at: criticallythinking@msn.com.