Remember when you were little and even muttering the word “sex” seemed wrong before marriage?

Well, a recent study shows that abstinence-only education in America is a failure.

We would have been happy to tell them that for free.

A Reuters article Sunday said that an independent study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that the mean age of children at their first intercourse was 14.9 years, both for those who were part of abstinence-only education programs and those who were not.

In simpler terms, abstinence-only education – or the lack of it – has no effect on the average age our little brothers and sisters have sexual intercourse.

What conclusion does this lead us to, children? That the $87.5 million the federal government has spent on abstinence-only education since 1998 has been a waste.

Not quite a waste, however.

We should be educating youngsters not only on abstinence, but also on alternatives. Contraception isn’t something smuggled to a young woman by her liberal doctor as in the ‘50s, but instead, a mature method of planned parenting.

Why would we even consider abstinence-only education? American television is evidence that sex is no longer something to be ashamed of, but rather, something to incorporate into the evening hour of TV.

“The vast majority of the public does not see abstinence and contraception as an either/or proposition – they want teens to be informed of both,” said Sarah Brown, executive director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, in a statement.

Yes! America shouldn’t entirely abandon abstinence education, but it can no longer treat contraceptives and other alternatives like the country’s illegitimate child everyone only whispers about.

Abstinence-only education isn’t a waste; it’s just slightly old-fashioned. It’s not effective to educate a group of young people who are eager to rebel against what teachers say. It’s best to educate teens on all their options, give them the confidence to make educated choices for themselves, and at the same time, keep them safe from a life without a full, honest education.

Education is the ultimate contraceptive. Don’t let America’s youth leave home without it.