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Congressional Health Subcommittee Hearing Takes Up Issue of Teaching Abstinence Only in Sex-Ed Classes

Aired April 23, 2002 - 08:50   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Former President Ronald Reagan used to say that the best birth control pill is an Aspirin held firmly between the knees. In other words, abstinence. Today, a congressional health subcommittee hearing takes up the issue of teaching abstinence only in sex education classes in schools. Now millions of dollars have already been spent on this approach, but do we know if it really works?

CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now to shed some light on it.

Good morning, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Anderson.

Well, you just taught me something, I didn't realize that Reagan said that, I thought my father said that. But I guess maybe both of them said that.

Anyhow, what's at stake today on a committee on Capitol Hill is whether or not $50 million of federal funding should be spent on programs that teach abstinence and abstinence only, or should be spent on programs that teach abstinence plus other forms of birth control. Right now, it's spent on abstinence only, but some other groups are saying, you know what, we ought to spend some of that money on teaching other forms of birth control, too.

Now that side is going to have a heavy argument in front of them, because many members of Congress, and President Bush, have been big supporters of teaching only abstinence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (voice-over): When our children face a choice between self-restraint and self- destruction, government should not be neutral. The government should not sell children short, by assuming they are incapable of acting responsibly. We must promote the good choices.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP) COHEN: Now, many people agree with President Bush, and over the years, it's become popular for teenagers to sign virginity or purity pledge cards, and that promises no sex before marriage.

Now let's look a little bit of a look at these federally funded abstinence programs and what they entail. And these programs, they teach that sex outside of marriage has harmful physical and psychological effects. They also teach that abstinence is the only certain way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

They also teach the failure rates of contraception. They're not allowed to talk about what contraception is useful. They're really just allowed to talk about how contraception often doesn't work. Now, the other side of this argument, the people who don't like the abstinence-only program, say you know, abstinence is fine, but 70 percent of studies show kids -- 70 percent of kids by the time they reach age 18 have had sex, so why not give them the tools to prevent pregnancy -- Anderson.

COOPER: Elizabeth, has any research been done on whether this program worked, whether abstinence only works, or whether some other program works better?

COHEN: There have been studies. And unfortunately, it's hard to sort of sort it all out, Anderson, because it depends on who did this study. But the side that wants birth control taught, as well as abstinence, says that in California, they tried abstinence only, and it didn't work. Teen pregnancy rates did not go down, and that's why actually California is the only state in the union that just says no to the abstinence-only funding. They say we don't want your money, we don't want to just teach abstinence.

However, the abstinence only groups say, you know what, in Monroe County, New York, they taught abstinence only, and the teen pregnancy rates went down significantly. So it kind of depends on who you ask.

ZAHN: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much for being with us this morning.

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