FRC Accuses Al Franken of Lybing About Abstinence Education
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 28, 2003
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — The Family Research Council, a Washington-based pro-family organization, is accusing pro-abortion political comedian Al Franken of lying about abstinence education in an appearance on CNN this week.
Franken was a guest on CNN’s "Live From the Headlines" this week. During the program he said that abstinence education "doesn’t work" and that the decrease in teen pregnancy in the 1990’s was a result of condom-based sex education.
"In claiming that studies do not prove abstinence education to be effective, and by stating that pro-abstinence conservatives are lying when they speak of the abstinence education success rate, Mr. Franken has shown his disdain not only for conservatives, but also for the truth," said FRC Policy Analyst Bridget Maher.
"In fact, many abstinence education programs have proven to be effective in helping teens remain abstinent," Maher explained.
At the end of the 1990’s, the National Center to Prevent Teen Pregnancy released a comprehensive study which showed that abstinence was on the rise, condom use was sharply down, and public support for abstinence was growing. Also, a 2003
study from the journal Adolescent and Family Health found that the decrease in teen birth rates was due to an increase in the number of abstinent teens, not increased
condom use.
"While Mr. Franken claims the decrease in teen pregnancy was almost exclusively due to ‘the increased use of contraception,’ the facts prove otherwise," said Maher.
Maher is the editor of FRC’s "The Family Portrait: A Compilation of Data, Research and Public Opinion on the Family."
In her book, she points to several studies which prove that when teens are taught abstinence they are substantially more likely to refrain from sexual activity.
Related web sites:
Family Research Council – https://www.frc.org
