Does the abstinence message have relevance for teens who are sexually active?
Absolutely! Sexually experienced teens receive the skills and positive empowerment to make healthier choices in the future as a result of abstinence education. A recent published study shows that sexually experienced teens enrolled in an abstinence program were much more likely to choose to abstain than their sexually experienced peers who did not receive abstinence education.15 Among teens that have had sex, 55 percent of boys and 72 percent of girls wish they had waited.16 The abstinence message provides the only practical approach away from high-risk behavior and toward a decision that removes all future risk for that teen.
