Brook's position on abstinence education

Teaching abstinence alone denies young people access to impartial and accurate information which they need to make informed choices and to protect their sexual health.

Research shows that the most important factor which contributes to young people delaying sexual activity is comprehensive sex and relationships education, combined with access to confidential sexual health services.

Brook believes that comprehensive sex and relationships education should be an educational entitlement and that teaching should focus on information provision, skills development and the clarification of attitudes and values.

Background information

Supporters of abstinence education believe that by encouraging young people to say no to sex until marriage young people will abstain from sex and as a result teenage pregnancy rates will drop and sexual health will improve. In the United Kingdom there is a small but vocal lobby for abstinence education.

Abstinence education is widely taught in the United States where it attracts large scale federal funding. Some 35% of the school districts in the USA that mandate sexuality education require that abstinence is presented as the only appropriate option outside of marriage. The 1996 Welfare Reform Act outlined the official constituents of abstinence education:

• it has as its exclusive purpose teaching the social, psychological and health gains to be realised by abstaining from sexual activity;
• it teaches that abstinence outside of marriage is the expected norm;
• it teaches that abstinence is the only certain way to avoid out of wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and other associated health problems;
• it teaches that sexual activity outside of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects;
• it teaches that bearing children outside of marriage is likely to have harmful consequence for the child, its parents and society.

Programmes are often characterised by use of fear based tactics to promote abstinence and usually omit discussion of topics like abortion and homosexuality or present them as morally wrong. They provide no information on forms of contraception other than failure rates which are often exaggerated.

There is concern that the 'just say no' message in practice puts young people off asking for help and leads to them living double lives. As one young man told a Sex Education Forum staff member 'Kids have two lives: one where they are the all-American kid doing what their family tells them, and another when they are with their friends. Adults have no idea about kids'lives - what they think and what they do.'[1]

The majority of parents in the United States support comprehensive sex education and of the 33% of parents who want their children to postpone sex until marriage, two-thirds want them to know about birth control and safer sex.[2]

Abstinence education has not so far been subject to systematic evaluation. However, a meta-analysis of four studies which evaluated abstinence programmes showed an increase in pregnancies in the partners of male participants.[3] Evidence from studies of abstinence pledgers also suggests that abstinence programmes are not effective in the long term. Teenagers who pledge to remain abstinent delay having sex about one-third longer than comparable non-pledgers, although much depends on the age at which they pledge, but they are less likely to use contraception when they do have sex[4]. The graduates of abstinence programmes have STI rates very similar to other young people because they are significantly less likely to use condoms and are less aware of sexually transmitted infections.[5] Almost 90% of virginity pledgers will have had sex before they marry. [6]

There is now federal funding for a major evaluation but it is thought likely that whatever the results of the evaluation, abstinence education will continue because it is seen as the moral option.

International research has consistently supported the effectiveness of comprehensive sexuality education. Most recently an Alan Guttmacher Institute study of five developed countries found that those providing comprehensive sexuality education have lower teenage pregnancy levels. [7]

World Health Organisation research in 1993 concluded that sexuality education programmes which advocate postponement of sexual intercourse as well as condom use were more effective in preserving health than those that only promoted abstinence. [8]

A review of all the available evidence on sex education by the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination similarly concluded that good, comprehensive sex and relationships education which starts before the onset of sexual activity does not make young people more likely to have sex. In fact it helps them to delay starting sex and makes them more likely to use contraception when they do. [9]

Brook provides free and confidential sexual health services and advice for young people under 25. Brook is a registered charity number 239966.