We now have the first strong evidence that an abstinence-only intervention has been successful in delaying young teens from having sex. The study--published today in the American Medical Association's Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine and conducted by top-notch researchers--also shows that the abstinence intervention helped young teens reduce their recent sexual activity.

In the long, more-heat-than-light battle between abstinence and contraception, The National Campaign has been, from the very beginning, on the side of science. And there we remain. There is sure to be much said and written about this particular study--some cogent and reasonable and some hysterical and unreasonable--so stay tuned and please do tell us what you think in the comments feature below.

A few modest thoughts to consider as you read the evaluation:

• The evaluation design is very strong and the authors are very well-respected.
• The effect size of the intervention was quite large--the abstinence-only intervention reduced by about one-third the percentage of students who had sex compared to the control group.
• Importantly, the abstinence program did not have a negative impact on teen contraceptive use.
• It is also important to note that the abstinence-only program did not give participants an abstinence-until-marriage message (it simply encouraged teens to delay) and it did not denigrate contraception.
• A total of 662 African American students in 6th and 7th grade participated in the program. As the authors note, "the results of this trial should not be taken to mean that all abstinence-only interventions are efficacious" or that abstinence-only interventions will necessarily work with older teens or with teens in committed relationships.
• Those concerned with the "mixed message" argument should note that students who received more comprehensive messages--those that encouraged abstinence and careful contraceptive use--were not more likely to initiate sex.
• This intervention can now be added to the list of well-evaluated interventions that reduce risky sexual behavior among adolescents--the vast majority of these proven interventions combine messages about the importance of delaying sexual activity along with messages about the critical importance of sexually active teens using contraception consistently and carefully.

A final thought. This program--like all well-evaluated programs before it--is a partial solution to a complex problem. Because teen pregnancy has many causes, and because even the most effective programs do not eliminate teen pregnancy, it is unreasonable to expect any single curriculum or community program to make a serious dent in the problem on its own. Making true and lasting progress in preventing teen pregnancy requires a combination of community programs and broader efforts to influence values and popular culture, to engage parents and schools, to change the economic incentives that teens face, and more.

Read our statement for more, check out an article on the subject in The Washington Post, and tell us what you think!