GAO Report Finds Flaws in Abstinence Course Materials

WASHINGTON — School programs promoting abstinence from sex until marriage often convey misleading and incorrect information about contraceptives and sexually transmitted diseases, federal investigators said Wednesday at a heated House hearing.

The Government Accountability Office reported that in its 2006 assessment of programs, "one state official described an instance in which abstinence-until-marriage materials incorrectly suggested that HIV can pass through condoms because the latex used in condoms is porous."

Witnesses at the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing also described course materials showing graphic pictures of sexually transmitted infections and referring to condoms as "flimsy pieces of rubber" that students should not entrust with their health.

Other witnesses said some programs do not address the topics of anal and oral sex. Dr. Margaret Blythe, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Adolescence, testified that she has treated many young people who have contracted infections because they were unaware of the dangers of that kind of sexual contact.

"The teenage years are a time of physical, psychosocial, and emotional growth. It is a time of trial and error and sometimes you get burned, but it is important with sex that teens don't get burned because of misinformation or a lack of information," Blythe said.

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., appeared as a witness in support of abstinence-only education, which has received $1.3 billion in federal support.

"I'm like most parents. I want my kids to abstain from sex until marriage. The current culture pushes against what we try to teach, that sex should be retained for marriage, and we want the government to back us up. We should set a higher expectation for children," Brownback said.

Rep. John Duncan, R-Tenn., agreed with Brownback. "We should encourage people to higher expectations," he said. "I think parents know what is best for their children. I think it's ridiculous for people who study in the field to think that they know better than parents."

Brownback also cited studies that showed comprehensive sex education programs as ineffective.

But Rep. Chris Shays, R-Conn., challenged him, saying, "It's a different world today than you grew up in. How can we help young people if we don't give them information to make life choices?"

Rep. Lois Capp, D-Calif., said surveys have found that "46.8 percent of all high school students reported having had sexual intercourse. For high school seniors, this figure reaches 63 percent. The bottom line is, as much as parents and teachers alike stress abstinence among teens, sexual activity is a reality for many young people."

Representatives from leading medical organizations backed comprehensive programs.

Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said that ethical and human rights concerns arise when abstinence is presented to adolescents as the only option or when health information is inaccurate.

Dr. John Santelli, professor and chairman of the Department of Population and Family Health at Columbia University, said, "We need to stop arguing over facts and move on to what programs work. The demographic reality is that abstinence-only is out of touch with the reality of young people."