HARRISBURG -- In reaction to a Bush administration proposal to double spending on sexual abstinence programs that forbid discussion of contraceptives, counselors and other experts convened in Harrisburg yesterday to discuss anew questions raised by the Bush plan.

Should sex education programs, especially those taught at the middle school level, preach only abstinence, or are racier topics, such as condoms and birth control pills, key to any effort aimed at reducing teen pregnancies and new cases of sexually transmitted diseases?

It's not hard to cipher the Bush administration's stance. In his State of the Union address, President Bush said he'd "double federal funding for abstinence programs, so schools can teach ... abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases."

In his budget proposal, Bush wants to spend $270 million on abstinence-only education, compared with $100 million annually when he took office. Advocates of a two-pronged approach to sex education -- abstinence plus contraceptives -- say the extra money is part of Bush's election-year carrot for conservative voters, falling under the same category as his plan to promote healthy marriages.

But Bush had no shortage of allies at a hearing in Harrisburg yesterday. At that hearing, convened by Sen. Arlen Specter, several panelists suggested that telling teens to avoid sex as a general rule but to practice it safely if you're sexually active, delivers confusing advice.

"I'm worried, as a matter of prevention, of the double message," said Wade Horn, an assistant secretary with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "The real message [that you're sending] is, we don't expect you to stick to your abstinence goals."

Teaching about contraception and birth control can suggest to young minds that condoms are a safe, reliable alternative to abstinence, when in reality there are several diseases that can be transferred even when condoms and other contraceptives are used properly, Horn said.

Specter, who's in a surprising primary fight with a GOP challenger, U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, is aligning himself with Bush and other conservatives on this issue.

Throughout his campaign, Toomey has collected his staunchest supporters from among conservative Pennsylvania Republicans who have raised eyebrows over the years at Specter's relatively moderate voting record.

"Abstinence education has demonstrated its value," said Specter, who led yesterday's subcommittee hearing. "If we can persuade young people to avoid premarital sex and unintended pregnancies, it will be a tremendous step forward."

Specter's comments come amid new evidence suggesting that abstinence-only sex education doesn't work, or at least doesn't work as well the two-pronged approach. In Minnesota, a study found that sexual activity doubled among junior high school students taking part in an abstinence-only program.

Meanwhile, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently compiled a study tracking the decade-long reduction in the teen-age birthrate, concluding that the 30 percent drop in teenage pregnancies was attributable to programs emphasizing both abstinence and contraception.

Joe Fay, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, agreed that there's little to support claims that abstinence-only education is having a dramatic effect on teen pregnancy levels.

"Where is the evidence?" he asked of Specter and the panel.

Fay acknowledged that abstinence is the only 100 percent foolproof way to avoid unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, but he said he's convinced young teens can handle the primary message of abstinence along with a secondary message of safe sex.

"The major medical and health organizations in the U.S. agree that it is not good public policy to actively deprive young people of information that helps prevent pregnancy and disease," he said. "Most parents and teens reject the view that talking about abstinence and birth control sends a mixed message."