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Study: Abstinence Education Doesn't Work

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Dec 29, 2008 6:03 pm US/Eastern

Study: Abstinence Education Doesn't Work

Reporting
Stephanie Stahl

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: Abstinence education doesn't work, according to a new federal survey on teens and sex that was released today.
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Abstinence education doesn't work, according to a new federal survey on teens and sex that was released today. This is a sweeping new study. It says most teens have sex before marriage, even if they pledge not to. It also found a dangerous trend, the abstinence group was more likely to have unsafe sex.

Teenagers who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are just as likely to have pre-marital sex as those who don't promise abstinence, according to the new report that included 11-thousand students in in middle and high school. Researchers say 82-percent of teens end up breaking their virginity pledge.

"We all want our kids to wait until our kids are married to have sex, generally but its a fantasy that children are doing that," said Mary Banecker, Planned Parenthood, Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Mary Banecker is with Planned Parenthood which has long fought against abstinence only education in schools that also teaches that birth control doesn't work.

"We've spent billions of dollars on teaching our kids not to take care of themselves," added Banecker.

The new research showed teens who pledge abstinence are significantly less likely to use condoms, engaging in unsafe sex.

"It's really common that teenagers have sex…in Europe to and they don't have the pregnancy rates and the STD rates that we have in the U.S.," she said.

However, religious and conservative groups say there are plenty of studies showing abstinence education is effective. Emily, who went to a catholic school, doesn't agree.

"I don't' think that abstinence education really works I don't think the kids are listening to it and I thinks it's better to be more realistic with students," said Emily Cheramie-Walz.

The Bush administration has supported abstinence education. It's funding is currently at 176 million dollars annually going only to school districts that teach abstinence only. That funding will be re-evaluated by the new Obama administration.