Wed, 16 Mar 2005

Abstinence only sex education - a miserable failure

The United States is number one - we have the highest teen pregnancy rates, birth rates and abortion rates as well as the highest rates of sexually transmitted disease of any first world country on the planet.

Every year more of our hard earned tax dollars are being diverted from real sex education programs and services to "abstinence only" programs in complete denial of the results.
Researchers have noted that the countries with the lowest teen pregnancy rates, birth rates and abortion rates all have a societal openness and comfort in dealing with sexuality, including teen sexuality. They have pragmatic governmental policies creating easy access to sexual health information and services for all people including teens. Not only have we failed to prevent teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, but we have the most promiscuous teenagers as well!. Look at some of the results:

Pregnancy rate per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19
United States: 79.8
France: 20.2
Germany: 16.1
Netherlands: 8.7

Birth rate per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19
United States: 48.7
France: 12.5
Germany: 10
Netherlands: 4.5

Abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19
United States: 27.5
France: 10.2
Germany: 4.2
Netherlands: 3.6

Gonorrhea infection rate per 100,000 teens aged 15 to 19
United States: 571.8
France: 7.7
Germany: 15
Netherlands: 7.7

Percentage of sexually active teenage girls who had two or more partners in the last year
United States: 48.6%
France: 12.8%
Germany: no data available
Netherlands: no data available

Percentage of sexually active teenage boys who had two or more partners in the last year
United States: 48.8%
France: 28.8%
Germany: no data available
Netherlands: no data available

I am not against preaching abstinence to our teenagers but it should be accompanied by open discussion and information as well as easy access to contraception. It is a fact that 61% of teenagers are no longer virgins when they leave high school, many of these kids are having unprotected sex because of a lack of education about birth control or difficult access to birth control products.

It really pains me to see the condoms either behind glass or placed right next to the pharmacist - not many embarrassed teenagers would get them under such conditions.

Please support the call for real sex education - the excellent Advocates For Youth has a lot more information on this subject as well as information for those who would like to help.

Consider this:
Since 1996, Congress has committed over $1.1 billion dollars (through both federal and state matching funds) to abstinence-only-until-marriage programs and zero dollars to comprehensive sex education. There is no federal appropriation specifically for comprehensive sex education. Programs receiving federal funds under the 1996 Welfare Reform Act (Title V) and the Special Projects of Regional and National Significance, Community-Based Abstinence Education (SPRANS/CBAE) are prohibited from discussing contraceptives, unless they are portrayed as ineffective.

permanent link to this article