In a sharp departure from the abstinence-only message of the Bush years, the new health law pours hundreds of millions of dollars into sex education programs that aim to provide teenagers with comprehensive information about protecting themselves from pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

The programs, to be financed by $375 million in grants to the states over five years, are meant to encourage teenagers to delay sexual activity but to use protection if they are already active — as half of all high school students are. Lessons on healthy relationships, financial literacy and other life skills are also woven into the program, called PREP for Personal Responsibility Education Program.

By contrast, while abstinence-only curriculums may discuss contraceptives and condoms, they emphasize their risks and failure rates, and avoid touching on homosexuality or abortion, said Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association.

Critics of that approach are delighted with the new law. “The fact that you have the federal government committed to this and putting some money behind it is really significant,” said Laurie Rubiner, vice president for public policy and advocacy at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “For years, the only thing offered by the federal government was money for programs that were proven to be unsuccessful in the area of sex education.