Abstinance Only

Abstinence-Only Education

Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are federally funded educational programs taught to school-age children and young adults across the country. These programs teach that abstinence from sexual activity until marriage is the expected standard and that sexual activity outside of marriage is likely to have damaging psychological and physical effects. These programs, by federal definition, also prohibit discussion about pregnancy and disease-prevention methods (such as birth control or condoms). Many of these programs also include inaccurate or incomplete information that misleads young people and inhibits healthy decision-making about sexuality and reproductive health.

In 2004 the U.S. House of Representatives Special Investigations Division found that 80% of abstinence only curricula contained false, misleading, or distorted information about reproductive health including the effectiveness of contraceptives and the risks of abortion. It found that abstinence-only education blurred religion and science, treated stereotypes about girls and boys as scientific fact and contained scientific errors.

Growing evidence proves the ineffectiveness of these programs in decreasing rates of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) among adolescents. Despite the evidence, many states still accept federal dollars to be used for abstinence-only education programs. Since 2005, the State of Maine has rejected the federal funding, but that does not prevent private groups from seeking – and getting – millions of dollars for abstinence-only programs in Maine.

With high rates of sexual behavior among American youth (over 60% of high school seniors have had sex before they graduate from high school), accurate and complete information is essential to healthy decision making around sexuality.

Abstinence-only programs do not work, and they keep vital information from people who need it to make choices that are right for them. Flawed and incomplete abstinence-only programs should not be supported by government funds when comprehensive sexuality education programs exist and have been proven to reduce rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Maine youth deserve better! Maine youth deserve the truth.

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The content of federally funded abstinence only education programs