On two different occasions — in his acceptance speech and his inaugural speech — President Barack Obama said he would cut federal funding for programs that don’t work.

“[W]hat I have consistently talked about is to take a comprehensive approach where we focus on abstinence, where we are teaching the sacredness of sexuality to our children,” Obama said at the April 20 Democratic Candidates Compassion Forum.

He continued, “We’re also recognizing the importance of age-appropriate education to reduce risks. I do believe that contraception has to be part of that education process.”

Because of what the president has said, LeAnna Benn, co-founder and director of Spokane-based Teen Aid, said many sexual educators think abstinence programs may soon see reductions in federal funding.

Teen Aid is funded through a federal grant, and 15 percent of the organization’s finances are dedicated to researching the program’s effectiveness, Benn said.

“The point of a grant is to figure out whether programs work or not,” Benn said. “So cutting funding would essentially say that they don’t even want to know if abstinence programs work.”

Programs that teach “abstinence only” are already an illegal form of sex education in Washington’s public schools. Only programs that also include information about FDA-approved contraceptives are allowed, in accordance with the Healthy Youth Act.

“Abstinence-only” is a term often used to describe programs that primarily discuss the social aspect of sexual relationships and encourage abstinence until marriage. This can be misleading because it implies that abstinence programs tell students not to have sex and leave them ignorant, said Lisa Florez, director of Life Choices’ SHARE program.

“[Abstinence programs] look at the person’s whole life, their goals, their dreams and then examine sexuality in the context of all that,” she said. “Abstaining from things is common. We all make split second decisions to do something or not, all day long,” Florez said. “We feel that reserving sexual expression is very practical.”

Comprehensive sex education programs that emphasize contraception also teach abstinence as a way to prevent pregnancy, STDs and STIs.

“Comprehensive sex education begins by teaching about abstinence, but beyond that, people really need to know how their bodies work and how to stay healthy.” said Brian Cutler, affiliate communications manager for Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest.

Planned Parenthood, which hosts a sex education program in 40 western Washington school districts, has not been federally funded since former President George W. Bush took office, Cutler said. The organization is financially self-sustainable and provides screening and testing for STD/STIs, abortion services and sex education training for teachers.

“We feel that abstinence-only education is actually dangerous,” Cutler said. “Once they do start having sex, they’re less likely to use protection.”