Research released this week on an "abstinence-only" program for young, urban African American preteens found success in delaying sex for up to 24 months, but does not support the failed ab-only-until-marriage programs of the Bush era.

'Twas the night before Conference, when all through the House...Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The amendments were hung by the manager's chair, In hope that the votes soon would be there.

Important gains for sexual health realized in this week's appropriations bill can only be sustained through the constant vigilance of the advocacy community.

Progress on health reform legislation forces us to mobilize to prevent passage of the Stupak Amendment. But our next step must be to take stock of why and how we got here in the first place.

The time has come for the Democrats to correct course and stop government funding of ineffective abstinence-only programs. How can congressional leaders continue to ignore the public health consensus about science-based programs?

Today, the Democratic controlled Labor HHS Appropriations conference committee report includes the full increase requested by President Bush for abstinence-only programs. Let's call that what it is: a stunning disgrace.

When it comes to abstinence-only-until-marriage, The Republican presidential candidates are head-in-the-sand true believers, convoluted converts or, silent; Democrats are largely silent on the issue.

James Wagoner hopes that everyone saw the stinging blurb in Roll Call yesterday on our wayward friend, Senator Vitter, and his adamant support for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.

Today, the House Democrats will waltz into the mark-up of the Labor HHS Subcommittee and proudly present a bill that puts their stamp of approval on domestic abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.

James Wagoner is the President of Advocates For Youth.

The release of the 10-year evaluation of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs on Friday (if you can call the posting of the report on an obscure government website on a Friday afternoon a "release"), puts a big, bright spotlight on Democrats in Congress, particularly the appropriators.

Congress asked for this evaluation back in 1997. Do these programs work to protect young people? Ten years and over $1.5 billion dollars later, they got their answer. No, they don't. Period.

Now, you might be wondering why Congress went ahead and spent all that money over all those years with no evidence of effectiveness? You might wonder why Congress didn't halt these programs after the Institute of Medicine, the nation's leading authority on public health, called for their elimination back in 2000 or when the Society of Adolescent Medicine reported that the efficacy of abstinence-only programs was "near zero."