To answer Mark who asks why I bring religion into my argument against abstinence only education: The advocacy of "abstinence-only" education has been a pet project of the Religious Right. Its ascendence can be directly tied to the power of the Religious Right to influence political decisions and direct billions of taxpayer dollars to this effort. I realize that one need not be religious to advocate "abstinence-only" approaches, but the majority of its proponents claim it as their basis.

In reply to Lee from Pennsylvania, I would only state that the vast majority of professional medical societies have identical positions to mine on this issue.