January 21, 2004
What if Bush Sr. had practiced abstinence?
It's not often that our president makes me so angry, I can't concentrate. But watching the State of the Union last night riled me up so much, it's all I can think about.
There was a lot in there to anger me - a constitutional amendment against gay marriage (which, in my opinion, is a states' rights issue), keeping his tax cuts, etc. But what really got me, and what continues to bother me, is his plea for abstinence-only education.
I should preface this diatribe by telling you all that I am a health educator who works with teens. I have researched teen pregnancy, I have worked with pregnant and parenting teenagers, and I am currently working on the Teen Pregnancy Report for our county. You can argue that this makes me biased, but I know the statistics, I know the facts, and I am appropriately informed to pass judgment on what works and what doesn't.
Abstinence is a wonderful thing. I believe it should be taught in schools, and that we should encourage teenagers to practice abstinence. It is the only 100% effective method of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, not to mention the potential emotional consequences of premature sexual activity. No one in their right mind would be against teaching abstinence to teenagers, and it needs to be presented as the best option in our schools.
That being said, abstinence-only education does not work. It has never worked. Research supports this argument, and practical experience confirms it. Abstinence-only education binds the hands of teachers, health educators, and other professionals, and prevents us from sharing truthful information - even when students ask us for it directly. It keeps teenagers in the dark and encourages them to turn to their peers and other less reliable sources for information about sex. It makes sex taboo and "against the rules," which, as most people know, only makes it that much more desirable.
If we do not teach our children and teenagers about responsible sexuality in our schools, they may never learn about it. Even if they do choose to practice abstinence during high school, what happens next? What happens when they graduate from high school and go to college or start working, and are involved in more serious relationships? Will they be prepared for a sexual relationship? Will they know how to protect themselves? The president himself argued in the State of the Union that our schools need to prepare students for successful adult lives - this is how he justified his "No Child Left Behind" policy and other proposed educational reforms. I would argue that comprehensive sex education is equally as important in preparing our students for adulthood, and that abstinence-only education holds our teenagers back.
I wish that it wasn't abstinence versus comprehensive education. Don't people understand that abstinence is a vital part of comprehensive sex education? Of course we want teenagers to delay sexual activity - it keeps them safe and healthy. But for those teenagers who are already sexually active, how can we keep them safe and healthy? By teaching them about effective means of contraception for both pregnancy and STD prevention. By teaching them about theoretical and actual success and failure rates of contraception. By teaching them how to use contraception. By arming them with knowledge so that they can make responsible decisions. Because when you treat teenagers with respect, when you talk to them like adults, they listen. They pay attention. And they learn. And hopefully, they share the information with their peers.
Abstinence-only education is ignorant and irresponsible. Abstinence-plus education is a better idea. Over the past ten years, we've seen teen birth rates decline. Why? Because of both abstinence and contraception. However, only 25% of the decline can be attributed to increased abstinence, while 75% is due to increased contraception usage among sexually active teens (check out The Alan Guttmacher Institute for more information). We have to do both. We can't choose one over the other. And we don't have to.
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I'm here!! - August 25, 2006
Finally, some good news - March 02, 2006
The Day That Almost Was - February 26, 2006
can you keep a secret? - February 01, 2006
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