Parents favor abstinence education over comprehensive sex ed by a 2-to-1 margin, according to a new Zogby poll.
The survey, commissioned by the National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA), reveals attitudes are shifting just in time for Congress to rethink funding of the programs.
Nearly 80 percent of parents said sex-ed classes should emphasize abstinence rather than condom use. Ninety-three percent want their kids to know condoms aren’t foolproof. Eighty-three percent want their children to wait until marriage to have sex.
Valerie Huber, executive director of NAEA, said parents viewed examples of abstinence curricula before arriving at that conclusion.
"There’s so much misinformation out there about what abstinence education is," she said. "We were convinced that once parents understood the real content of abstinence education, they would overwhelmingly support abstinence.”
If Congress doesn’t take action, federal funding for abstinence-based programs will expire in June. But 60 percent of parents surveyed said they wanted more dollars going to the "wait till marriage" message.
Linda Klepacki, analyst for sexual health for Focus on the Family Action, said misinformation in the media often gives parents and lawmakers a false impression of abstinence education.
"Parents are starting to see through the lies," she said.
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