Six witnesses lambasted abstinence-based sex education before a House committee today. Dr. Stan Weed, director of the Institute for Research and Evaluation, was the lone voice on the side of abstinence education.
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., stacked the deck as his House Oversight and Government Reform Committee reviewed federal funding of abstinence education in public schools.
Linda Klepacki, sexual health analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said the panel showed little interest in scientific fairness.
“Dr. Weed stated multiple times, to a mostly deaf committee, that the same evaluation standards need to be applied to contraceptive-focused sex education as to abstinence-until-marriage education,” she said.
“He went on to say that of 115 peer-reviewed studies of contraceptive-focused education, not one was found to decrease sexually transmitted infection rates. Additionally, Dr. Weed clarified that consistent condom use has been shown to be a 100 percent failure.”
The latest research by The Heritage Foundation supports abstinence education. In a review of 21 abstinence-education programs, 15 showed positive behavioral results in the students, including the delay or reduction of sexual activity.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said America's youth will pay for Washington's decisions.
“It's tragic that Chairman Waxman ignores evidence showing that sexual abstinence is the healthiest behavior for youth," he said. "The government does not promote drug use or underage drinking, and it should not promote high-risk sexual behavior, either.”
