The Federal Government provides funding to abstinence-only education programs that it defines as having to:
- Teach that a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the expected standard of human sexual activity;
- Teach that sexual activity outside the context of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects;
- Teach that bearing children out-of-wedlock is likely to have harmful consequences for the child, the child's parents, and society.
Source: U.S. Social Security Act, §510(b)(2).
These definitions, their funding and their support prevent teens from gaining valuable information about safe sex. These definitions are based on opinions, not research. The government should instead fund education programs that promote safe sex.