Debra W. Haffner

About the author: Debra W. Haffner is the president and chief executive officer of the Sex Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS). She has trained more than 13,000 professionals in sex education.

Sex-education programs that emphasize abstinence do not prevent teenagers from becoming sexually active. Comprehensive sex education programs, which give teens the knowledge and skills they need to delay sexual intercourse or prevent pregnancy or diseases, are far more effective than fear-based, abstinence-only programs. The new welfare program that requires states to teach abstinence-only sex-education programs is misguided. Teenagers need information and access to contraceptives in order to grow into healthy, responsible adults.

Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) supports abstinence. I repeat, SIECUS supports abstinence. But SIECUS does not support teaching young people only about abstinence. SIECUS's Guidelines for...