JUSIPER

 
Teen sex rate stops falling

Posted by Sini

The rate of sexual activity fell throughout the Clinton years. But the decrease ended as soon as Bush came into office.

The halt in the downward trend coincided with an increase in federal spending on programs focused exclusively on encouraging sexual abstinence until marriage, several experts noted. Congress is currently debating funding for such efforts, which receive about $175 million a year in federal money and have come under fire from some quarters for being ineffective.[...]

A recent study of four separate abstinence programs, conducted for the Department of Health and Human Services by Mathematica Policy Research, a nonpartisan firm, found no evidence that the programs delayed the start of sexual activity among teens, but Unruh and others said such programs need more time and wider use to counter pervasive messages encouraging teens to have sex.

And meanwhile a key reminder as to why it's so important to hold both houses of Congress--a subject this blog will revisit in the coming months:

The House last week approved a $28 million increase in spending on abstinence programs -- Democratic leaders said it was intended to win Republican support for the annual health and education funding bill -- but the Senate is considering a $28 million cut, largely because of concerns about the programs' efficacy.

1:48 AM |