Expert Panel Rejects Abstinence-Only Sex Ed

Task Force Finds That Abstinence-Only Programs Don't Reduce Teen Pregnancy
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

Nov. 6, 2009 -- There's no evidence that abstinence-only sexual education programs cut teens' risk of sexually transmitted disease, HIV, or pregnancy, a task force of public health experts finds.

But the panel finds that sex ed that includes information about condomsand delaying sexual initiation does work by:

* Reducing the number of teens who have sex.
* Reducing the frequency of sexual activity in teens who have sex.
* Reducing the number of sex partners in teens who have sex.
* Reducing sexually transmitted infections.
* Increasing use of condoms and other methods of birth control.

(Original here.)