Abstinence only headlines

It’s all over the internet that a study has found abstinence only programs may work for teens. The headlines fail to mention to mention the teens being studied are sixth and seventh graders! Barely “teens.” I’d be encouraging these kids not to have sex too. It’s a completely different demographic and maturity level than highschool kids. Its so misleading for the media to present the story this way.

I saw Naomi Wolf on Joy Behar’s show the other night talking about “sexual gradulaism.” I love that term  which I am pretty sure she made up. Wolf wants to bring back heavy petting and argues that when girls learn about their own bodies and how they work, they delay sex and don’t get pregnant. Research of lower teen pregnancy rates in Europe where sex ed is part of the curriculum (and female sexuality seems to me much more accepted and celebrated than in my puritanical home country) back her up. Though the guy on the show with Wolf would not shut up about abstinence. I think his name was Steve, because Naomi kept saying, “Were you abstinent until marriage, Steve?” Steve thought his personal behavior wasn’t relevant to the discussion.

One thought on “Abstinence only headlines

  1. “Only about a third of sixth- and seventh-graders who completed an abstinence-focused program started having sex within the next two years, researchers found. Nearly half of the students who attended other classes, including ones that combined information about abstinence and contraception, became sexually active.

    The findings are the first clear evidence that an abstinence program could work.”

    I agree that these kids are on the young side; however, please note that they were followed for “the next two years”. For everyone concerned, it shows that there’s movement in a better direction.

    As far as Steve on Joy Behar’s show, I haven’t watched it; but I admit to becoming sexually active before marriage and regret it for several personal reasons. I regret that my entire generation swung the pendulum back too far to a largely unhealthy sometimes dangerous point for all of society by focusing so strongly on sexuality above other critical aspects of being human.

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