Abstinence Programs No Guarantee
Saturday April 21, 2007
A study highlighted in an article on CNN.com states: "Students who took part in sexual abstinence programs were just as likely to have sex as those who did not… And they first had sex at about the same age as other students - 14.9 years."
The study was measuring how well the abstinence-until-marriage sex education your teen who is going to public school is getting works. It seems that it isn’t working at all. What’s the alternative? The article goes on to say, "Some lawmakers and advocacy groups believe the federal government should use that money for comprehensive sex education, which would include abstinence as a piece of the curriculum." I agree with them. Share with us what you think in the comments area.
More: The Dos and Donts of Sex Education | 10 Essentials Your Teen Needs to Know About Sex
Unfortunately, teens do not realize just how much they have at risk. With the hormones raging, the need for social acceptance, love and thinking sex is an initiation to growing up.
I don’t believe there is truly a way to stop kids from having sex but a more informed STD program might be beneficial. Recently I have learned about something called genital warts. I was curious as to what it was and decided to go surfing on the net to find out. Reality check, that is something you don’t want to risk catching.
If there was a true and accurate account of all STD’s, pamphlets for parents to pick up and discuss with their children openly, then there might be a larger group of teens willing to wait and have safe and responsible sex.
How a parent handles the situation with their child will help to determine a childs sexual decision.
moosie
The type of “comprehensive” sex education we need is the one where schools, parents and the media are ALL on the same page! Is it any WONDER that our kids are confused and experimenting with sex early when every TV show, magazine and billboard ad tells them that sex before marriage is the way to go? Abstinence works — but abstinence education won’t until parents convey the same message at home. We need to have a continual diaglogue with our kids about the bad choices we see in the culture and WHY we deem them that way. Until parents are willing to put the hard work in to TALK to their children AND to actively oppose the marketers who target their kids, the ones with the biggest PR campaigns are going to win. In the interim, I’m choosing to speak the truth: EVERY KNOWN STUDY SAYS THAT ABSTINENCE FOR TEENS IS THE BEST CHOICE.