Abstaining from Abstinence-Only Sex Ed

by David Safier

A little over a week ago, Governor Napolitano made Arizona the 16th state to refuse abstinence-only money from the federal government. She gave two reasons. First, abstinence-only education doesn’t work. Second, it costs Arizona matching funds the state can ill afford, given our current budget woes.

When it comes to education, I’m not concerned about the state’s money problems. My attitude is, good educational programs deserve to be fully funded. (There I go again, sounding just like one of those tax-and-spend liberals.) But I am concerned about education that fosters a group’s ideological agenda instead of helping students.

Recent studies indicate that abstinence-only education has failed in its attempt to decrease sexual activity among teens. Some studies even suggest it might increase the possibility of unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Since I don’t believe that any study in education is definitive, it would be hypocritical for me to lean on this particular finding and say, “Now we have the answer, abstinence-only education is a failure.”

So let me approach this from a teacher’s standpoint. In a sex education class, a teacher stands in front of 35 students and tells them they should abstain from sex, giving them a number of facts and figures (often mixing an unhealthy dose of misinformation in with those “facts and figures”) as well as a few doses of moral persuasion. How effective do you imagine that will be in controlling the actions (and raging hormones) of 35 students when they leave the classroom?

I honestly believe I was a good teacher, and I think, in general, my students respected me and listened to me. That means I had a shot at adding to their skill levels and their knowledge and even imparting a concept or two along the way. But was my influence powerful enough to change the way my 150 plus students behaved when they left my classroom?

The answer is no. A few students might come to me for individual guidance, and I might be able to give them some advice that they would follow. But anyone who believes teenagers hang on every word uttered by their teachers, and their parents, and their priests/ministers/rabbis/imams has not been around young people lately. The majority of my students would not make major changes in their behavior based on my words.

Let a sex ed teacher promote abstinence, but give students the information they need about birth control as well. Denying students information about ways they can protect themselves borders on neglect.

Abstinence-only education hasn’t come cheap, by the way. Counting both federal money and matching funds from the states, we have spent $1.5 billion on abstinence-only since 1996.

I’m encouraged that sixteen states have turned down federal abstinence-only funds. It tells me that the Morality Bullies are beginning to lose their power. For years, they’ve been puffing out their chests and elevating their chins in moral indignation, saying, “If you let students know about contraception, you’re advocating promiscuity. Teaching about birth control is just telling the students it’s fine to go out and have sex with as many people as they want.” And they’ve shamed others into being silent.

It’s my hope that more and more people are willing to stand up and Just Say No to the abstinence-only moral bullies.

Comments

[Francine Shacter]

Abstinence-only is like trying to make water flow up hill! Sheesh!!!! I think it is correct to point out that abstinence has many advantages - it would be dishonest not to - but to think if teachers teach it as the only option, it will affect the behavior of adolescents whose hormones are raging is quite fanciful - not to mention intellectually dishonest. What these young people need is biologically correct information served up with a large dollop of moral responsibility! In a world where the television is blaring sexually stimulating images at them constantly, combined with their own awakening emotions, you hardly need the confirmation of solid data that abstinence only programs fail.

[Mrs. Laura Merriott]

Dear GOv. Napolitano and all the other IGNORANT state officials who refuse to look at the entirety of negative consequences of sexual activity by teens--and refuse to direct them to the HEALTHY, RESPONSIBLE and MORAL directive of abstinence!
You OBVIOUSLY do NOT know how many social ills that taxpayers are having to pay fro are a DIRECT result of teens CHOOSING to follow the liberal mantra--"go ahead and have sex--just use "protection""! WE have evidence that condoms CANNOT protect against MANY STD's and have a 15/100 failure rate for pregnancy!
PLEASE read and respond to the following letter I sent to the first serious black candidate for president=-Senator Obama--because black youth engage in sex in MUCH higher numbers as a percentage of their population THUS have MUCH higher rates of the following social ills :
1)POVERTY(#1 group trapped are single mothers--NO MARRIAGE))!
2) STD"s--NOT just HIV/AIDS--but ALL STD"S!
ABortion- We KNOW that 85% of those who KILL their unborn babies first engaged in PRE-mariatal sex--then CHOOSE to NOT to take responsibility for their CHOICES-we have legally KILLED 48 million unborn humans--SHAME--GO to www.abortionno.org and view the torn-apart innocent babies--IF YOU DARE!
Fatherless youth--after choosing to engage in pre-marital sex--those who CHOOSE to abandon their responsiblility and ask taxpayers to pay for food stamps, housing, child care and Medicaid are IRRESPONSIBLE---and their fatherless children have MUCH higher rates of criminal behaviors, school drop -out rates,drug and alcohol abuse and other high risk behaviors!

I can send you the details of these statistics from our own CDC and U.S. Census Bureau--IF you want TRUTH!
Here is a copy of the letter--I hope to hear your response:

Dear Senator Obama,

I feel compelled to write and share some VITAL information with you, I have personally been gathering research for the last 10 years on the benefits of directing youth to the healthy, responsible MORAL directive of abstinence education, particularly highlighting the GREAT reductions in MANY social ills directly linked to youth choosing to engage in hetero/homosexual sexual activity outside of the 4000+ year-old tradition of MARRIAGE! I hope you will take some time to review the data, as there is GREAT news on the reduction of teen sexual activity and other social ills like STD’s and fatherless households, since we began funding this healthy responsible directive in 1996-the decreases for black youth are especially hopeful! We are now seeing the dramatic results, (summary enclosed), and I also am hoping that your organization will join the abstinence advocates in this country who want EVERY American child to have access to this healthy responsible directive, so that we continue to see dramatic reductions in all of these social ills.

I am sending you MUCH of the research -most from our own CDC and the U.S. Census Bureau, and an abstinence educator for the last 10 years, and was honored to write a chapter in a social ethics text (summary article enclosed) which details the HIGH disparities in social ills, particularly devastating blacks and other minorities, including rates of poverty, rates of STD’s, abortion rates, as well as the devastation to youth in fatherless homes-with increased rates of criminal behavior, drug and alcohol abuse, school drop out rates, and increasing pre-term labor and infant mortality rates as well as many other devastating statistics like emotional rates of depression and suicide rates. I hope you agree that directing ALL American youth to the HIGH expectation of abstinence education is the social IDEAL that would greatly reduce all of these ills --we have been teaching ALL youth to abstain from drugs, alcohol, and smoking, but especially it is time NOW to direct ALL American youth to abstain from sexual activity as there are MANY more negative consequences related to that ONE behavioral choice!
PLEASE read the information carefully, and I would be honored to discuss in detail how abstinence directives should be a HIGH priority for ALL concerned about these ills.

Sadly, blacks have higher rates as a percentage of the population-13%--of ALL of these social ills, BUT other statistics from the CDC state that they engage in these behaviors in higher rates--THUS more devastation. But, we have seen GREAT reductions-25% in teen pregnancy, and related 30% drop in child poverty, since we began funding Title V abstinence education in 1997,-BUT have not seen that GREAT news in the media-! Also, if we KNOW that so many social ills are linked to ONE behavior-- why wouldn't we invest MANY more dollars to be spent for that healthy, responsible directives?

Blacks account for 12-13% of the U.S. population--yet they have higher numbers as a percentage of their race in ALL of the following social ills:

POVERTY-The #1 group trapped in poverty are single female -headed
households--NO marriage--blacks have a 70% out--of-wedlock birth rate--THUS MORE POVERTY--CHOOSING to engage in sex before marriage is the causal factor!

STD's --Blacks have higher numbers of ALL STD's -not just HIV/AIDS--which in
some areas they account for 50% of the new cases--but also for Herpes,
Chlamydia, Gonorrhea..and others,.-we KNOW that STD's are LARGELY spread by CHOICES to engage in sex outside of MARRIAGE!

CRIME--WE KNOW that blacks have higher rates of criminal behavior AND on
more black victims--we also know that 70% of the men in prison came from
homes with NO fathers--NO marriage--thus NO positive role model--people
CHOOSING to engage in sex outside of MARRIAGE-and then abandon their
responsibility!

ABORTION--We know that since 1973-Roe v. Wade that 45 million unborn babies
have been KILLED in legal abortion--BUT 1/3rd of those-15 million-- were
black and Planned Parenthood-et.al. sets up more inner city abortion clinics
targeting blacks--that is GENOCIDE ! that citizens SADLY ignore!

My research from the CDC states that black youth engage in sex at younger ages and with more partners than their peers--THUS-more of ALL of these devastating numbers!

NOW for the solution--conservatives have funded and want to expand abstinence until MARRIAGE funding so that ALL youth will understand the consequences of that behavior -teach them how NOT to get STD's -or end up in poverty as a single mom or have to CHOOSE to KILL her baby in abortion. Also we would like to teach young men-why they need to exercise self-control and wait, and commit to the mom in MARRIAGE-that it is healthy for the child to grow up with a father and a mother and have a better chance of NOT engaging in criminal behavior and other negative behaviors!

I have a tape of some politicians from C-Span who say it is "unrealistic" to teach some youth abstinence--isn't that soft bigotry of LOW expectation--that blacks CANNOT
be taught self-control like their white peers-- I believe that IT IS RACIST to not teach
them the HIGH standard of abstinence AND we have studies which state black
youth do abstain after this healthy, responsible, MORAL directive of abstinence
education-! SO--I hope we will begin to challenge those who say they want less poverty, less crime, less STD's, less abortion -to join with conservatives and DEMAND abstinence education for ALL youth--so that we can GREATLY reduce these sad statistics-especially for blacks!

I also want to include the devastation from emotional effects of pre-marital sex like
increased rates of depression and suicide, loss of self-esteem and MANY
other emotional crisis that we spend MILLIONS on counseling!

***I am personally volunteering to come anywhere in the U.S. to show you a summary of the 2 hour presentation that we give to our students, and I KNOW that you will agree that ALL American youth are entitled to this HEALTHY, RESPONSBLE, MORAL directive, instead of the irresponsible, unhealthy, 30 year-old failed directive of “Just use your condom education“ which has as described in the summary enclosed on “Sexual Behaviors and their Consequences” which has HARMED so many!

I PRAY that you will prayerfully consider looking at the UNBELIEVABLE individual and societal costs to enabling our youth to continue to engage in the one behavioral CHOICE that causes all of these social ills--AND challenge them with the FACTS and with the solution--which is to direct ALL American youth to the healthy, responsible, directive of abstinence until MARRIAGE!

GOD BLESS-US-EVERYONE!

Ret. Major Laura Merriott
a PROUD abstinence educator

814 835-0249 5235 Wolf Rd. Erie, Pa. 16505

PLEASE understand that there are solutions for these social ills and conservatives like me want to see black youth succeed-=-NOT continue the FAILED "just use your condom" message-I will personally volunteer to make a presentation to explain these SAD stats and would like to ask why you do NOT want these social ills reduced!

[Jen]

Which other states are refusing the funds?

[David Safier]

Jen, I just looked over a dozen articles on the web, and they all give the number of states refusing the funds, but none of them list the states. If you're really interested, try contacting Planned Parenthood and see if they can give you a list. If you find it, post it here.