There are good reasons to teach young Americans about sexual abstinence. These programs, however, must be based on facts, not distortions and scare tactics. Yet, a congressional investigation has found that many abstinence-only programs rely on false information to encourage kids to delay sex until after marriage. Given the results of the investigation, it is irresponsible to further increase federal funding for such programs without first requiring that their teaching materials be forthright and accurate.

Among the most egregious errors found in the congressional investigation are that abortion can lead to sterility and suicide, that half of U.S. gay male teenagers have tested positive for AIDS and that pregnancy can result from touching a person’s genitals. The first is contradicted by obstetrics research. Second, there are no national statistics on how many gay teenagers have AIDS. And, as for the third claim, let’s just say there would be a lot more kids in the world if this were true.

Some of the most outrageous erroneous claims are that AIDS can be spread through sweat and tears and that women’s happiness and success is dependent upon their relationships, men’s hinges on their accomplishments. The report concludes that “two-thirds of these federally funded abstinence programs rely on curricula that distort information about the effectiveness of contraceptives, misrepresent the risks of abortion, blur religion and science, treat stereotypes about girls and boys as scientific fact and contain basic scientific errors.”

Worse, the programs aren’t that effective. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 61 percent of graduating high school seniors have had sex. Columbia University researchers found that teenagers who sign virginity pledges may delay sexual activity. They found 88 percent of them eventually have premarital sex.

Still, abstinence-only programs are gaining support from the White House. President Bush proposed to spend $270 million on such programs next year. Congress cut that amount to less than $200 million, which is still more than double the $80 million allocated to such programs in 2001.

There are more than 100 federally supported abstinence programs that have reached millions of children between 9 and 18. The congressional review, requested by Rep. Henry Waxman, a California Democrat, looked at the curricula used by 13 programs. It found that 11 curricula, used in 25 states, contained major errors and distortions.

“I have no problem talking about abstinence as a surefire way to prevent unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases,” Rep. Waxman said. But, he added, “something is seriously wrong when federal tax dollars are being used to mislead kids about basic health facts.”

He’s right. Kids should be encouraged to abstain from sex. The reality, however, is that many won’t. In that case, they should understand the real dangers and consequences of their sexual activity.