Here's how well those abstinence-only sex "education" programs (the ones getting the only education-related increase in the Bush Budget this year) are working. Sociologists studied data from a study of 11,000 teenagers and young adults tested for sexually transmitted diseases. A portion of this group had taken virginity pledges.

There was no statistically significant difference between the percentage of people who took a so-called virginity pledge and were infected with an STD and those who didn't pledge.

88% of sexually active people who took the pledge had intercourse before marriage.

People who took an abstinence pledge were less likely to get tested and treated for venereal disease, which means they may be infected longer than others.

Sexually active pledgers were less likely to use condoms the first time they had sex.