New Mexico is the most recent state to reject federal funding for an “abstinence-only” sexual education program. 

The $176 million-a-year program is being strongly criticized by many opponents, as teen birth rates have risen for the first time in 15 years. A congressional study conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. shows that teens who attended abstinence-only classes had their first sexual encounter at the same age as teens who did not attend the classes.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy also released a study that shows abstinence programs as having very little effect on teens’ decisions or sexual habits. The study, however, claims comprehensive sex education programs to be effective at postponing sexual intercourse among teens and promoting contraception.