Report from Congressman Henry Waxman has many inaccuracies on the effectiveness of abstinence education and the risks connected to early sexual activity.

• In reaction to the abstinence-only education report released by California Representative Henry Waxman, The Heritage Foundation published a response shedding light on inaccuracies found within its pages. The Waxman report portrayed the investment in abstinence education programs as excessive, while the Heritage Foundation pointed out that in 2002 for every $1 the government spent encouraging teens to abstain from sexual activity, it spent $12 promoting contraception and condom use. The Waxman report also included incorrect information regarding the relationship between teen sex and increased suicide rates, the effectiveness of abstinence education, and virginity pledge programs. Furthermore, the report ignored the detail that parents overwhelmingly support the values and messages of genuine abstinence education.¹

¹Pardue, Melissa G., Waxman Report is Riddled with Errors and Inaccuracies, The Heritage Foundation, 2004.

Send Page To a Friend