Most of the research on abstinence-only sex education programs
in schools has found the programs don’t work and can backfire.
Now, a new study out of UGA reaffirms that finding. States that
prescribe abstinence-only sex education programs in public
schools have significantly higher teenage pregnancy and birth
rates than states with more comprehensive sex education
programs, researchers from the University of Georgia have
determined. The researchers looked at teen pregnancy and birth
data from 48 U.S. states to evaluate the effectiveness of those
states’ approaches to sex education, as prescribed by local laws
and policies. “Our analysis adds to the overwhelming evidence
indicating that abstinence-only education does not reduce teen
pregnancy rates,” said Kathrin Stanger-Hall, assistant professor
of plant biology and biological sciences in the Franklin College
of Arts and Sciences. Hall is first author on the resulting
paper, which has been published online in the journal PLoS ONE.
The study is the first large