What the Trump Administration's New Sex Ed Rules Mean for Our Future

The Bothered Blog by Allison Whaley

July 2026

What happened

In case you missed it: last month, the Trump administration quietly canceled 53 teen pregnancy prevention grants, totaling $67 million in lost funding for organizations providing sex education to our youth. Going forward, programs won't qualify for federal funding unless they teach abstinence as the only method of preventing teen pregnancy.

Here's my take on everything you need to know and why it matters.

New guidelines for federal funding

The US Department of Health and Human Services is redirecting the reclaimed funds into new grant opportunities totaling $63.4 million for programs that focus on abstinence, discourage contraceptives, and teach an approach called "restorative reproductive medicine." This approach discourages the use of any type of contraception, instead focusing on fertility awareness methods—aka, methods typically used by couples trying to get pregnant. The guidelines also require that programs teach ovulation as the "primary indicator of hormonal health and fertility" for women.

Here's what the research shows us:

On abstinence-only programs and the prevalence of premarital sex:

• A nine-year, federally commissioned study randomly assigned kids to abstinence-only programs versus control groups, then tracked them for years. The results (published in 2007) were unambiguous: abstinence-only programs did not yield lower rates of premarital sex.

• Additionally, a 2011 review of 48 state's sex ed policies found that abstinence education is positively correlated with teenage pregnancy and birth rates, even after controlling for socioeconomic factors.

• Premarital sex is nearly universal in America, including among evangelical Christians. Research drawing on decades of federal survey data found that 95% of Americans have sex before marriage, and that this holds true, to varying degrees, across religious lines.

Summing up the above: telling teenagers abstinence is the only acceptable option to prevent pregnancy doesn't change when or whether they have sex. It just leaves them less prepared when they do.

On "restorative reproductive medicine" and "ovulation as the primary indicator of hormonal health and fertility":

• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has specifically warned against this reproductive curriculum and framing, calling it "ineffective and redundant" and something that can delay people from seeking real medical treatment.

• Fertility awareness tracking methods for pregnancy prevention have a wider range of efficacy than other contraception methods. They require regular, consistent tracking and a regular, predictable menstrual cycle. Adolescents commonly have irregular menstrual cycles for several years. Thus, the exact population these guidelines are aimed at is the population least equipped to reliably use this method.

Decline in pregnancy rates

Teen pregnancy rates have nearly continuously declined for the past 20+ years, and are currently at an all-time low: the birth rate for teens ages 15–19 fell 7% in 2025, to 11.7 births per 1,000 women. Experts attribute the decline to a mix of better sex education, better access to contraception—especially for girls—and fewer teens deciding to have sex earlier.

When the Trump administration announced the funding cuts, they stated that there is "no evidence" these specific programs contributed to this historic decline in teen pregnancy. Notably, this "no proof it worked" standard isn't being applied to the approach replacing it: abstinence-only curriculum has been tested and retested for thirty years, and there is clear evidence it doesn't work.

The societal cost of teen pregnancies—and its impact on gender inequality

Abstinence-only programs create more teen pregnancies, not less. This can result in greater gender inequality and fewer opportunities for girls, because the burden of childrearing is more likely to fall on girls (the mothers) than boys (the fathers). Thus, these Trump directives won't land evenly, and run the risk of halting progress made towards closing the gender gap in education and economic opportunity.

It's worth noting that some studies find teenage mothers and fathers face comparable long-term setbacks in education, income, and life satisfaction—one Canadian study found parenting as a teen similarly detrimental for both women and men, even 10 to 35 years later. What's clear is that teen pregnancies leave everyone, boys and girls, worse off.

My take on the Trump administration's directives

These guidelines will produce:

• Less educated, less empowered kids

• More teen pregnancies

• Greater gender disparity

As such, they are dangerous and irresponsible, and will leave our youth worse off.

What's salvageable from the new guidelines

The directives include two things I appreciate:

• Inclusion of information about the side effects of "widely prescribed medications" for "ovarian suppression" (read: birth control). In general, we should provide accurate information about medication options, including side effects.

• Teaching how the menstrual cycle works. Educating youth on the reproductive cycle, including follicular phase, ovulation, luteal phase, and fertility, should be taught.

The above corresponds to an overall approach of education and empowerment. Teaching the above alongside abstinence as the only method for pregnancy prevention? This has the opposite effect.

Wondering how you can help? Here's some options:

If this matters to you, here are some concrete things you can do:

• Donate to your local health and community organizations that provide comprehensive sex education—and that just lost their funding

• Get involved in your school board meetings to influence what sex education our kids receive

• Vote!

• Check out SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, which fights to keep medically accurate sex ed alive. They've already sued the administration over these changes, arguing they violate the law and put young people's health at risk.

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About the Author

Allison Whaley is the CEO and Founder of Bothered Stories, a subscription platform publishing smart, smutty stories. If you liked what you read here, consider joining us.