Most government-funded abstinence programs are aimed at teens who haven't had sex, or at least not a lot. Now, this unusual program for adults may be at an end. Government funding runs out next year, and instructors for the course, who are nurses for Arizona State University Community Health Services, say it's too time-consuming to continue. Unless workers at the Salvation Army or another contractor pick it up, abstinence education for the adult group will probably be dropped, says Manchester. Those running the program say it works.
Students are some of the harshest critics.
Ninety-two guys have been living here six months. Just how many are saying no is unclear. The hope is that a reduction in non-marital births will relieve the burden on the welfare system, the health care system and other societal safety nets. Even if the state reaches this goal, proving it will be difficult among teens, and impossible among adults in the Salvation Army program. By using identification provided by teens in other Arizona programs, evaluators plan to do a vital records check next year to see if participants gave birth out of wedlock.