LET’S GIVE KIDS WHAT THEY DESERVE

I don't get it. Why do so many want to throw out the baby with the bath water when it comes to abstinence-only education? The critics say it doesn’t work, but I disagree.

Statistics show that abstinence works for a large number of teens who receive the training (1). Many students in our Willing to Wait© program report that they've not heard anyone telling them that they can save sex for marriage. Most have never had anyone put that standard before them; certainly not from the media.

But, if the issue in question is truly the effectiveness of the abstinence programs, you'd think we would also hear how teen smoking and drinking cessation programs don't work either.

I wonder why there are no campaigns to get rid of these other programs, too. Instead we keep funding them. But, why?

These programs continue because not smoking and not drinking is what's best for teens and the instruction works to deter many. (And by the way, who ever heard of teaching kids to smoke only filtered cigarettes or how to drive while under the influence.)

So why is it with sex and kids we say, "Just be safe; wear a condom." It’s crazy! Have you ever looked into the failure rate of condoms (2)?

It sure seems that we're being asked to put a lot of faith into a permeable piece of latex.

Still, critics argue it doesn’t work. But I say abstinence works—every time it’s chosen. It is the only 100% guaranteed protection against getting and STD and preventing pregnancy.

So, am I saying we should expect all teens that go through abstinence-only programs to save their first sexual experience for marriage? Of course not, but you know what? Many of them will.

But here’s the real kicker: we have to do something different. If we don’t change course and raise the standard for our kids we will continue to see epidemic-sized numbers of them infected with STD’s (3). Their futures are at stake and they deserve better.

It's time we focus on what's best for kids.

-Jim Sprague

References:

1. Robert Rector, "The Effectiveness of Abstinence Education Programs in Reducing Sexual Activity Among Youth." TheHeritage Foundation Backgrounder N.o 1533, April 8, 2002 https://secure.prcgr.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.heritage.org/library/backgrounder/bg1533.html

2. a.Ahmed S, Lutalo T, Wawer M, et al. HIV incidence and sexually transmitted disease prevalence associated with condom use: a population study in Rakai, Uganda. AIDS. 2001; 15(16): 2171-2179.
b. Baeten JM, Nyange PM, Richardson BA, et al. Hormonal contraception and risk of sexually transmitted disease acquisition: results from a prospective study. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2001; 185(2): 380-385.
c. Celentano DD, Sifakis F, Hylton J, Torian LV, Guillin V, Koblin BA. Race/ethnic differences in HIV prevalence and risks among adolescent and young adult men who have sex with men. J Urban Health 2005; 82(4): 610-621.
d. Davis KR, Weller SC. The effectiveness of condoms in reducing heterosexual transmission of HIV. Fam Plann Perspect. 1999; 31(6): 272-279.
e. Detels R, Visscher BR, Jacobson LP, et al. Sexual activity, condom use, and HIV-1 seroconversion. In: Voeller B, Reinisch JM, Gottlieb M, eds. AIDS and Sex: An Integrated Biomedical and Biobehavioral Approach. New York: Oxford University Press; 1990: 13-19.
f. Gottlieb SL, Douglas JM Jr., Foster M, et al. Incidence of herpes simplex virus type 2 infection in 5 sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics and the effect of HIV/STD risk-reduction counseling. J Infect Dis. 2004; 190(6): 1059-1067.
h. Manhart LE, Koutsky LA. Do condoms prevent genital HPV infection, external genital warts, or cervical neoplasia? A meta-analysis. Sex Transm Dis. 2002; 29(11): 725-735.
j. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Workshop Summary: Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention. June 12-13, 2000, Hyatt Dulles Airport, Herndon, Virginia. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; 2001. Available from: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/stds/condomreport.pdf.
k. Pinkerton SD, Abramson PR. Effectiveness of condoms in preventing HIV transmission. Soc Sci Med. 1997; 44(9): 1303-1312.
m. Samuel MC, Hessol N, Shiboski S, Engel RR, Speed TP, Winkelstein W, Jr. Factors associated with human immunodeficiency virus seroconversion in homosexual men in three San Francisco cohort studies, 1984-1989. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 1993; 6(3): 303-312.
n. Saracco A, Musicco M, Nicolosi A, et al. Man-to-woman sexual transmission of HIV: longitudinal study of 343 steady partners of infected men. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 1993; 6(5): 497-502.
p. Vaccarella S, Franceschi S, Herrero R, et al., and the IARC HPV Prevalence Surveys Study Group. Sexual behavior, condom use, and human papillomavirus: pooled analysis of the IARC human papillomavirus prevalence surveys. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006; 15(2): 326-333.
q. Wald A, Langenberg AG, Krantz E, et al. The relationship between condom use and herpes simplex virus acquisition. Ann Intern Med. 2005; 143(10): 707-713.
r. Weller S, Davis K. Condom effectiveness in reducing heterosexual HIV transmission. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002; (1): CD003255: 1-22.
s. Winer RL, Hughes JP, Feng Q, et al. Condom use and the risk of genital human papillomavirus infection in young women. N Engl J Med. 2006; 354(25): 2645-2654.
t. Wong ML, Chan RK. A prospective study of pharyngeal gonorrhoea and inconsistent condom use for oral sex among female brothel-based sex workers in Singapore. Int J STD AIDS. 1999; 10(9): 595-59

3. Weinstock H. Weinstock H, Berman S. Cates W. Jr. Sexually transmitted diseases among American youth: Incidence and prevalence estimates, 2000. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2004;36(1):6-10.