Feds embargo pro-abstinence findings
by Bill Bumpas and Jody Brown
he full results of a national study that favors abstinence education is being withheld from researchers and the public.
The taxpayer-supported survey from 2008 found that around 70 percent of parents and their teenagers believed that teens should wait until marriage to have sex. Despite release of the study’s summary and its highlight at two major public health conferences last year, the Department of Health and Human Services is withholding the full results according to Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Foundation.
“When a researcher [Dr. Lisa Rue] asked the HHS for the full results, she [was told it] is not public information and it has not been released to the public and so you don’t have access to it,” relates Huber. “[I find that] a little incredulous since it was shared publicly at two different venues.”
Valerie HuberHuber questions the motivation of the Obama administration, noting that “as of this past fiscal year, President Obama specifically put in his budget a desire to end all funding for abstinence education.”
She hopes a change will be made soon. “We think that an administration that wants things to be open and clear should certainly do something different than the decision that is currently being exercised,” Huber remarks.
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This story is a bit misleading. While the majority of parents and students feel its best to wait until marriage to become sexually active, that doesn’t mean the students should be kept ignorant of the basic facts. President Obama budget puts an end to abstinence only education. And its a bit disingenuous of Ms. Huber to be so concerned about this study when she has dissed studies out there that show abstinence only sex ed is not effective.