Abstinence may be a virtue, but teens need to know more about the ins and outs of sex ed
By Sam Graceffo, M.D.
Faith-based programs frequently are at odds with the findings of modern science. One such clash has occurred in the area of sex education. Almost everyone agrees that it is prudent to discourage very young people from early sexual activity, which can lead to unwanted pregnancy, HIV infection and sexually transmitted diseases. The question is how to achieve this goal in the most effective way.
Many programs throughout the country focus on abstinence, a faith-based approach widely supported by religious and governmental agencies. Congress recently approved $141 million for community-based abstinence education.
In spite of all this enthusiasm and funding, there is no evidence to prove abstinence-only programs work. One such investigation was published in the British Medical Journal and involved 15,000 U.S. youth. The conclusion was that abstinence-only programs did not affect the incidence of unprotected sex, number of partners, condom use, incidences of pregnancy, HIV infection or incidence of sexually transmitted infection.
In contrast, broadly ranging sex education programs with no moral agenda are highly successful. Check these results in a study involving 2,019 teens, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health: males were 71 percent less likely to have intercourse before age 15; females were 59 percent less likely to have intercourse before age 15; males were almost three times more likely to use birth control the first time they had intercourse; and African-American females in school were 91 percent less likely to have sex before 15.
According to lead author Trish Mueller, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Sex education seems to be working. It seems to be especially effective for populations that are usually at high risk.”
When teens are dealing with raging hormones in their bodies and mounting social pressure from peers, it seems obvious that simply telling them to say “no” is not going to be especially beneficial. Now that we have clear evidence showing what works and what does not, it is time to help our young people instead of backing worthless programs that sound good and make the supporters feel righteous. ❏
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