Kristie McNealy, MD

The first national comparison of comprehensive versus abstinence-only sex education programs performed by researchers at the University of Washington, found that heterosexual teens (aged 15-19) who received comprehensive sex education were 50% less likely to report pregnancy than those receiving abstinence-only sex ed.  They were also 60% less likely to report pregnancies than teens who received no sex education.

In addition, teens who received comprehensive sex education, including information about condoms, other forms of birth control and disease prevention, and abstinence, were no more likely to have had sexual intercourse.  Neither type of sex education reduced a teens odds of contracting a sexually transmitted disease.

While some conservative groups claim that abstinence-only sex education helps delay sexual activity, the results of this study seriously call that notion to question.  All in all, the study showed that abstinence-only education has been ineffective at reducing the likelihood that teens will engage in sexual activity or become pregnant.  The notion that providing any sort of sex education at all promotes sexual activity and pregnancy is also discounted by the higher rates of teen pregnancy in study participants who’d received no sex education.

While further studies will be needed to validate theses results, for the time being it seems like the best possible course of action is to provide teens with medically accurate information about birth control, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

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