Abstinence Education and HIV/AIDS

This fact sheet provides organizations, government agencies, and educators with information about abstinence education and HIV/AIDS. The fact sheet reviews the content of abstinence-only sex education programs as well as the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS among adolescents in the United States. It compares abstinence-only educational programs to comprehensive sexuality/abstinence-plus sex education. It examines the concerns held by some parents and educators about comprehensive sex education and cites studies showing that most parents favor abstinence-plus education. It discusses current trends and programs regarding comprehensive sex education and compares HIV/AIDS incidence rates among adolescents in states that require abstinence-only programs and those that allow comprehensive sex education in schools.