Does Abstinence-Only Sex Education Work?

[CarolinaCutie]

I also am not a fan of abstinence-only programs. It's not that I don't believe in abstinence; I really do. I think that abstinence works for some... but it definitely doesn't work for most teenagers. And yes, condoms aren't foolproof, birth control isn't foolproof- but if you're going to have sex, you are obviously much better off with contraception than without it. If kids don't know about contraception, REALLY KNOW about it, they aren't going to use it correctly.

The abstinence programs through the church (True Love Waits, for example) are, in my opinion, even less effective than school abstinence programs. They want you to sign these cards when you're 12 or 13 years old. Now some people may start having sex then, but I know at 13, I WAS planning to wait until marriage. Things change. A promise that you made when you were 13 holds very little concern to a 17 year old. Plus there's very little reinforcement of the concept of abstinence other than the same TLW program year after year, once a year.