Sioux Falls, SD (LifeNews.com) -- With abortion advocates in control of Congress, abstinence education is under fire by those who want to see the millions of dollars revoked that it has received under the Bush administration. However, the head of one of the leading abstinence groups in the country says abstinence advocates aren't giving up.

In the face of an unsure future in regard to federal funding, the National Abstinence Clearinghouse is resolute in its belief that abstinence-until-marriage education will not die.

Abstinence is a black and white issue, the South Dakota-based group says, allowing no gray area between sexual integrity and irresponsibility.

"We will always have a place in the public debate, because we have truth on our side," said Leslee Unruh, founder of the Abstinence Clearinghouse.

"The fact remains that sexual abstinence until marriage to an uninfected spouse is the only 100% effective method to prevent pre-marital sex and STDs," Unruh told LifeNews.com in a statement.

"As long as people are truly concerned about sexual health, abstinence education will exist," she added.

The group plans a press conference for next Monday in St. Paul, Minnesota, where it is hosting its 11th Annual International Abstinence Leadership Conference.

The conference will feature such speakers as Star Parker, founder of CURE (Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education) and Dr. Stan Weed of the Institute of Research and Evaluation.

Dr. Weed's most recent study not only critiqued the abstinence-critical Mathematica study of a few months ago, but also showed that abstinence is the most successful method of preventing physical and emotional complications resulting from pre-marital sexual activity.

Related web sites:
National Abstinence Clearinghouse - http://www.abstinence.net