Conservatives argue that the key to reducing unwanted pregnancy is to encourage teenagers not to have sex in the first place. After all, abstinence from sexual activity is the only protection that is 100 percent effective against out-of-wedlock pregnancies and STDs. And when did it become the role of schools to provide counseling for abortion and contraception?

Proponents of abstinence-only sex education maintain that this approach is superior to comprehensive sex education because it emphasizes teaching a morality that limits sex to that within the bounds of marriage and that physical relations outside of marriage and at a young age have heavy physical and emotional costs. They fear that comprehensive sex education encourages teen premarital sexual activity, in a time when HIV, other STDs and teen pregnancy are widespread. Teaching birth control in public schools sends the signal that teenage sex is alright.

Abstinence-only programs encourage teens to abstain from sex and don’t discuss contraception, except to point out failings. The program got its start in the 1996 welfare-overhaul law and was later expanded by the Republican-controlled Congress. Opponents to abstinence-only programs argue that it is unrealistic to believe that teens won’t have sex and that schools should teach that contraception is needed.

Abstinence-only education has been paid for through two sources, one that funds community-based programs directly and another that gives funding to states. Nearly half of the states have declined to accept the money because it required state matching funds and came with restrictions.

President Obama has proposed to eliminate most federal funding for abstinence-only sex-education programs and replace it with new birth control programs. Although liberals have been deriding abstinence-only education as ineffective and misleading for years, the Democratic-controlled Congress has continued to fund the programs out of fear of a political backlash.

Following Obama’s lead, Rep. Lynn Hemingway, D-Salt Lake City, is proposing legislation to allow schools in Utah to teach about condoms and other forms of contraceptives. While the details have not been announced, these programs traditionally discuss abortion as an alternative to an unwanted pregnancy.

Another Salt Lake Democrat, Lewis Garrett, works as the director of Davis County’s Health Department. Not surprisingly, he supports the Planned Parenthood-led initiative to end abstinence-only education in Utah schools. To soften the blow, Garrett uses words like “health issues” to avoid the nastiness associated with other words like “condoms” and “abortion”.

While you may hear Utah Democrats describe alarming rates of teen pregnancy and STD’s, they rarely mention that other states with comprehensive sex education programs still have higher rates than Utah. And don’t be fooled with the two-track approach that is being proposed to get a foot in the door.

Once that instruction is allowed in public schools, every kid will know exactly what is being taught – whether or not a parent has given consent for their student to attend. The mystery and intrigue that will surround “that other class” will completely undermine the abstinence-only message.