ABSTRACT
1996 was a banner year for abstinence in the United States. With virtually no public or legislative debate, a last-minute inclusion in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (better known as “welfare reform”) allocated $250 million dollars for abstinence-only education over five years. While abstinence education began in 1981 under President Reagan when $11 million dollars was authorized under the Adolescent and Family Life Act, from 1996 to 2006 the program massively expanded before leveling off.1 This high spending continued through 2010, leading to more than 1.5 billion dollars in congressional abstinence spending.2 An almost equal amount was spent promoting abstinence in sub-Saharan Africa from 2004 to 2013.3
