Report: Abstinence Not Curbing Teen Sex
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Not doing it rightBy lex, on November 7th, 2007
November 7th, 2007 | Tags: Headlines | Category: Uncategorized
25 comments to Not doing it right |
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May just be me but the link isn’t working…
Its because teens are not being taught V-o-c-a-b-u-l-a-r-y! They do not know the meaning of the word…
Sounds like an AP Oxymoronic headline… my apologies for the redundancy…
LOL! Leave it to those durned teens to figure out a way to do it without actually doin’ it! (Oh wait… seems like the Preisdent before this one already figured that out… so in reality this is just rampant plagiarism…)
John V.
Educated teens using condoms and contraceptives = fewer unwanted pregancies = fewer aborted pregnancies. Sounds good to me.
I didn’t have sex in high school…but it wasn’t from lack of trying
“Involuntary Monk” huh Byron? Drank beer, celibate… and prayed.., for the opportunity to not be!
Teaching abstinence has never worked. The fact is that earlier generations were married much earlier so they did not have to wait too long. However the research numbers showed that since the car became readily available, early sexual contact became more common. To expect your son’s or daughters to wait until they are in their mid twenties to early thirties, which is the average age of marriage now, is assinine.
Here’s the money shot from the article:
“The sponsors of the study praised Kirby for his “thorough research” and for being “fair and evenhanded,” but they also acknowledged that ETR Associates developed and markets several of the sex education curricula reviewed in the report. Several of the previous studies that were reviewed also were written by Kirby.”
Makes the “study” sound a bit self-serving if you ask me…
I don’t know. Frankly, I have trouble taking the study results at face value. No doubt because they don’t line up properly with my own world view. Although I must admit that I was surprised to the see the funding and apparent push for “abstinence programs” in the US. That was news to me.
BUT back to where I started … a bit of a conflict of interest did sort of appear in there, a vested interest by those doing the study/reviewing. And I have to wonder about the quality of these “abstinence programs”. Because in all honesty, I know nothing about them, how they are being taught. But it was always my understanding that traditional sex ed programs neither promoted nor resulted in less sexual behaviour.
As far as age goes, I can’t imagine anyone expecting kids to wait until their mid-twenties or early thirties … has that ever happened in the history of the world? My concern is with younger … a lot younger! I have an 11 year old (excuse me, she would insist I say eleven and a half year old) who is rightly or wrongly under the impression that every other student in her middle school class has a boyfriend or girlfriend. And who has a ‘friend’ (put that way because she does not and will not associate with this other kid in any way outside of school) who is not only pushing my daughter to get a boyfriend but also openly suggesting who she should have sex with. Uh huh. Eleven and a half … the other kid is a couple of months younger than mine.
Not to at all make light of the more usual phrasing but… seriously… where are these kids coming from?
Shipmates,
It seems to me that reintroducing the concepts of “shame” and “personal responsibility” might be a tad bit helpful here.
Respects,
As a high school health teacher, my first reaction to the headline is “No poop!”. As a parent, this worries me.
Abstinence is a wonderful foundation of any sex ed program. However, in this day and age it cannot be the “be all, end all” of a sex ed program. My curriculum for every class I’ve ever taught is based on the principle that the ONLY 100% safe and effective form of protection (not just “birth control” but PROTECTION) is abstinence. However, should a student choose a path other than abstinence, we go over different forms of protection and their failure rates (not their success rates…anyone good enough in addition and subtraction can do the math if they want the latter) for each. We talk about all of the different forms of STDs and their short term and LONG term consequences. We talk about pregnancy and parenthood as a consequence of sexual activity as well. We discuss regret, reputation, self-respect, and love in deep detail.
Just saying “don’t do it” and expecting that to work is ignorant and dangerous. Where there is a will, teens will FIND a way. And they definitely have the will.
I could go on and on but I won’t.
As the sometimes revered, sometimes reviled Dr. Kinsey discovered, no one ever tells the real truth, the whole truth about their sex lives. When queried. Not even [or especially] when they’ve had a drinkie or two. Besides, as one of our past Presidents said on a notable occasion, “it all depends on what the definition of is, is.” But you can be pretty sure about one thing; the younger they are, the more apt they are to be doing it wrong.
I always take these surveys with a large grain of salt … and some fond memories.
Marianne Matthews
Yea, well here’s another newsflash: abstinence never curbed teen sex. Or adult sex for that matter.
Sex is what healthy mammals do. You can’t make water run uphill, you can’t make the sun rise in the west, and you can’t stop healthy young adult humans from having sex.
It’s a waste of time to try. So you might as well teach them birth control, and some sort of morality that allows for sexual contact, mutual respect and dignity.
Semper Fi,
ASM826
Not getting into whether or not the research is accurate, I think those here who seem to have a rather cavalier attitude towards teenage sex need to stop and think a bit. We should be doing everything we can to convince teenage boys and girls to abstain from sex until AT LEAST they are in college (or out-of-high school adults). Why? Because the child of that teen girl and boy who get together and don’t use contraception, or get together and have that one time it doesn’t work (which happens even with experienced married couples) — that child is facing an uphill struggle from DAY 1. Why do I care about this? Right now a boy I mentored from age 12 is now 18, expecting his first child in early 2008, not married, no steady job, no car, no house (living with mom) etc. etc. etc. You can not tell me that it would not have been better had abstinence been reinforced (and enforced) by all the adults in his life. I tried– his Mom gave exactly the opposite example. Now a new baby will be entering the world with very little chance of breaking the cycle. If it was your daughter expecting, or your son who had done the impregnating, would you folks be so casual about the impending result? Our society needs to get a grip and get back to the old days in one way — make teen sex an anathema rather than an expected event. I didn’t have sex when I was a teen and I wasn’t some sad loser. Girls should be taught that they don’t need to have sex to have self-respect! When you are in college, or have a good job and are prepared to take on the responsibility of that new baby, then fine – have at it. Until then, playing with fire is the ultimate in selfishness, with the loser that new baby who will have to struggle to make it.
Well said Debby K!
But whadda I know? Just an old fossil who remembers the way things were in the 40s.
Well, as I have adumbrated here in the past, I’m something of an outlier, socially speaking.
However, my recollection of being an adolescent in the sixties is that most of the fiftieth-percentile people didn’t get any, either. We were terrorized about how bad it was to do the deed, and also were carefully prevented from having the opportunity.
Oh, and Marianne?
“But you can be pretty sure about one thing; the younger they are, the more apt they are to be doing it wrong.”
is hilariously applicable to all fields of human endeavor, be they wet and squishy or dry and cerebral.
Woot hoot toot
Well, I s’pose I better throw my .02 into the mix…
For better or for worse, morality starts in the home. Children will be pushed and prodded from all corners – school, TV, magazines, movies, society in general, etc. – to do the wrong thing, and it is up to the parents to both model and instill moral and ethical behavior in their kids. As great as any school sex ed. program may be, it is no replacement for responsible parenting.
Sadly, in today’s society, this is largely lacking. The sky-high divorce rate is but one example of how we are showing our kids that we are a “disposable” society – no commitment, no holding out for what’s right – just do what you want to do when and where you feel like it.
It’s this kind of attitude that gets ingrained in our youth and makes things like Marine Corps boot camp such a hugely different transformation than it was 50 yrs ago. Suddenly, they’re being taught (maybe for the first time) that it’s *not* all about you; that “Honor, Courage, & Commitment” actually *mean* something.
The issue is not about the “right” way to teach sex education. It’s about raising children who are critical thinkers, who have a healthy self-esteem, and who are willing and able to make good decisions *and* take responsibility for their actions.
Whooosh… I thought this was just a fun little blurb about a poorly written headline! Then the gates opened!
I have a 6 year old daughter… my PLAN is to teach her morality and to demonstrate it for her on a daily basis. I will then watch over her and attempt to intercept any and all opportunities that might turn out bad… from the standpoint of her doing something she really ought not to do…
I am, however, realistic enough (and remember enough of my late 70′s youth…) to understand that no matter how dilligent I remain, I will ultimately fail in that effort.
Therefore, I am back to relying on the morality play…
… and prayer!
John V., don’t be so sure you will ultimately fail. My parents succeeded (with me, nothing said about my siblings) and I’m not really uglier than a hedge fence.
I am doing all I can to teach my daughters what is right (it’s never going to be an issue with my son.) I am very upfront with the boys they date (actually, only one is old enough to date) but I expect more trouble with my younger child, perhaps because right now she’s in that God-awful rebellious middle-school stage.
I also try to gently teach their friends, as I find opportunity. Because even if you make it, married in high school with a baby, and are still married 20 years down the road…it’s changed your life, your options, forever.
I have three neices who THOUGHT they were in committed relationships, all of whom are in their 20s (one is 28) two of them engaged–but after the child was born, the guys all split.
Worthless dreck…
And none are getting child support.
I believe in exposing my girls to this, as well.
And the kids do talk about it among themselves, at school, and around the community, I’ve heard them say, well, see how hard it is for ___.
sigh. It’s tough, but it’s WHAT WE CHOSE
Sorry, that last one flew away.
It’s tough, but it’s WHAT WE CHOSE when we chose to be parents. And like I tell them, any time that there’s any chance you’ll become a parent from this act–you are CHOOSING to do so. The “choice” happens before conception.
As for those who are all for birthcontrol preventing abortions…what about all the abortifacient “birthcontrol” methods?
And I am not talking about the “morning after pill”, either.
We don’t know what damage those methods do to our 11 year-olds who are having sex because their parents choose not to be parents…..
But we are starting to discover the delayed risks of abortion, and we’ll be paying for that, for generations to come.
d
Wait let me get this straight… preaching that ” sexual abstinence makes the heart grow fonder” to the raging hormone set is not… I repeat not …gasp flippen working…Sweet Jesus the enormity of this situation… who knew? ….the end times are approaching… will humaninty survive? …
Seriously though, this report reminds me of that utterley useless Navy funded study Lex posted a while back that concluded that Petty Officers/NCOs are an absolutly vital part… the heart of the Navy….and by extension the heart of all the services…my reaction then was ” No S***t ” and my reaction to this story is the same … NO FREEKING S***T, ( sorry HF-6-”No Poop” just ain’t manily enough for this aging dog)…tell me something I don’t already know …and what kind of hopeless peckerhead fills their working days concerned about this stuff anyway?
Full disclousere…I have three sons the youngest is 27 and still in the hunt…his two older brothers are alas … married and we all know whats that’s about…I might not be so cavalier if I had a daughter(s). Best
Did anyone (including the AP reporter) actually read the study (actually a metastudy of 83 other studies)? In the section regarding abstinence programs conclusion 1 is:
First, given the great diversity of abstinence-only programs, there are far too few
studies of abstinence-only programs to reach any definitive conclusions about their
impact. This does not mean that these programs are not effective; it means that there
is too little evidence to reach any strong conclusions about their effectiveness. That
is, the jury is still out.
In direct contravention of the AP article, the second conclusion of the study is:
Second, none of these abstinence-only programs have significantly delayed the
initiation of sex for six months (the criterion used in this review). On the other hand,
one program did reduce the frequency of sex and the number of sexual partners
among those youth who did have sex[15] and a second program also reduced the
frequency of sex. Thus, two programs appear to have some positive impact on some
measure of sexual behavior, even though thus far none have demonstrated a delay in
initiation of sex.
Here is the link to the study at ETR Associates: http://www.etr.org/recapp/programs/SexHIVedProgs.pdf.
Read it for yourself.
And don’t leave reporting of facts to the AP. There must be an “AP reporter and facts” counterpart to the old saying about sailor-proofing and two bowling balls.
Ha!
Thanks, Tim.
Too bad I was too lazy to find that myself.
Well, Snake, as I wrote above, the traditional solution, up into the sixties, was to terrorize the young horndogs, and also watch them like hawks.
That worked ok for the majority;
some ingenious troublemakers got some anyway.
Some people like me who prolly shoulda oughta been encouraged, instead, became even more messed up, but…
on the whole, we had stable social relations we could count on, back then.
Gee, and all this time I thought our troops were participating in cultural and economic outreach in Subic Bay!