Claim: Despite Government Spending, Teens Still Having Sex

Via the Associated Press, a chilling report suggests that, despite the best efforts of the moral scolds in the Bush administration, teens are still going at it, despite a massive increase in spending on "abstinence education" programs. Why one needs to waste even more money studying the blindingly obvious is unclear, but the AP has all the sordid details:

Programs that focus exclusively on abstinence have not been shown to affect teenager sexual behavior, although they are eligible for tens of mil lions of dollars in federal grants, according to a study released by a nonpartisan group that seeks to reduce teen pregnancies.

"At present there does not exist any strong evidence that any abstinence program delays the initiation of sex, hastens the return to abstinence or reduces the number of sexual partners" among teenagers, the study concluded.

The report, which was based on a review of research into teenager sexual behavior, was being released Wednesday by the nonpartisan National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

Over at the Huffington Post, James Wagoner attacks the Democrats for endorsing a "record $141 million dollar budget for community-based abstinence-only-until-marriage programs which prohibit information about condoms and birth control," and is shocked to learn "that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) signed off on the funding increase." Yes, shocking.