Is This The End For Abstinence-Only Education?
LatestThe end of the Bush era may signal the end of the “abstinence-only” approach to sex education programs. Rep. Louise Slaughter of New York hopes to end the failing programs with the “Prevention First Act.”
Slaughter, who is sponsoring the act along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado, aims to shift the focus from a “no sex, no pregnancy” mentality to a much more realistic teaching method that encourages young people to make safe, responsible choices. “We believe the amount of money that goes into [abstinence-only education] would be so much better used on things to prevent unwanted pregnancies,” Slaughter says, “I think we’ll have enough votes to deal with it.” Currently, about 176 million dollars is spent on abstinence-only education, and studies have shown that the programs simply don’t work.