Washington ? The number of states refusing federal money for “abstinence-only” sex education programs jumped sharply in the past year as evidence mounted that the approach is ineffective.

At least 14 states have either notified the federal government that they will no longer be requesting the funds or are not expected to apply, forgoing more than $15 million of the $50 million available, officials said. Virginia was the most recent state to opt out.

Two other states, Ohio and Washington, have applied but stipulated they’d use the money for comprehensive sex education, effectively making themselves ineligible, federal officials said. Other states are considering withdrawing as well.

Until this year, only four states had passed up the funding.

“My greatest concern about states dropping out is that these are valuable services and programs,” said Stan Koutstaal of the Department of Health and Human Services, which runs the program. “It’s the youths in these states who are missing out.”

The number of states spurning the money has grown even as Congress considers boosting overall funding for abstinence-only education to $204 million, with most of it going directly to community organizations.

The trend has triggered intense lobbying of state legislators and governors around the country. Supporters of the programs are scrambling to reverse the decisions, while opponents are pressuring more states to join the trend.

“This wave of states rejecting the money is a bellwether,” said William Smith of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, a Washington-based advocacy and education group that opposes abstinence-only programs. “It’s a canary in the coal mine of what’s to come.”

“We hope that it sends a message to the politicians in Washington that this program needs to change, and states need to be able to craft a program that is the best fit for their young people and that is not a dictated by Washington ideologues,” Smith said.

Smith and other critics said they hoped that if enough states drop out, Congress will redirect the funding to comprehensive sex education programs that include teaching about the use of condoms and other contraceptives.

But supporters said they plan to fight for the programs state by state.

“We’re talking about the health of millions of youth across the United States,” said Valerie Huber of the National Abstinence Education Association. “We know abstinence education offers the best for them. Now is the time to put more emphasis on that message, not less.”

Huber disputed criticism that the programs are ineffective or overly restrictive.

“Our critics would have governors believe that these programs are just somebody standing in front of the class wagging a finger and saying, ‘No. No. No. Don’t have sex.’ That’s not what these classes entail,” Huber said. “They are holistic. They include relationship-building skills and medically accurate discussions of sexually transmitted diseases and contraception.”

The jump in states opting out follows a series of reports questioning the effectiveness of the approach, including one commissioned by Congress that was released earlier this year. In addition, federal health officials have reported that a 14-year drop in teenage pregnancy rates appeared to have reversed.

The reasons given for passing up the federal money vary from state to state. Some governors publicly repudiated the programs. Others quietly let their applications lapse or blamed tight budgets.