The 1996 Welfare Reform Act contains many provisions aimed at combating teenage pregnancy, including the reduction of welfare benefits for teens who are not in school and not living with a suitable guardian and increased enforcement of statutory rape laws. One of the most controversial provisions provides $50 million in federal funds for abstinence- only sex education in schools.

Supporters of abstinence-only sex education maintain that traditional sex education programs, which provide information about contraception and protection from disease, send students mixed messages about whether sexual activity is permissible at such a young age. The 1996 act requires that abstinence-only sex education programs convey to students that “abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage is the expected standard for all school-age children,” and “sexual activity outside of the context of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects.” As...