Success of abstinence in cutting teen pregnancies is a 'myth'

[one...two...tree 2,762]

By Sarah Womack

Sexual abstinence as an effective tool in reducing teenage pregnancy is a complete "myth", the Government's advisory body on the issue claimed yesterday.

The Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy said that research from the United States showed that contraception was the way to bring down rates. Researchers from Columbia University and the Guttmacher Institute examined the relative roles of abstinence and contraceptive use in the "remarkable decline" in US teenage pregnancy rates, which dropped 27 per cent from 1991 to 2000. They said that 86 per cent of the decline in teenage pregnancy was due to improved use of contraception.

Only 14 per cent of the drop amongst 15- to 19-year-olds was linked to reduced sexual activity, according to the study, published in the latest edition of the American Journal of Public Health.

Gill Frances, the chairman of the British advisory group, said: "Providing young people with good information, advice and contraceptive services, is the way to reduce teenage pregnancy.

"It is a myth that abstinence is a better approach and this US study confirms it."

Her group's comments provoked a furious response from those who believe that it is better to encourage young people to abstain from sex until they are older, or even until they are married.

Norman Wells, of the Family Education Trust, said that in its zeal to promote contraception as the mark of sexual responsibility, the sex education establishment had "cheapened sex and lost sight of its purpose as an expression of the total self-giving of a husband and wife to each other in the context of life-long marriage". He said: "Parents have a major part to play in protecting their children from sexual imagery in the media and mitigating peer pressure, but their role is being severely hampered by Government policy."

In Britain, experts say that the Government missed its target of cutting the under-18 pregnancy rate by 15 per cent from its 1998 level in spite of the £150 million campaign to reduce pregnancies among young girls. It was also likely to miss its target of halving teenage pregnancies by 2010, probably achieving a reduction of about 17 per cent.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml...2/01/nsex01.xml

[mawilson 2,133]

Sexual abstinence as an effective tool in reducing teenage pregnancy is a complete "myth"

That's a strange claim. If teenagers abstain from sex and *still* get pregnant, what can we do?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Sexual abstinence as an effective tool in reducing teenage pregnancy is a complete "myth"

That's a strange claim. If teenagers abstain from sex and *still* get pregnant, what can we do?

Good point. Perhaps the wording should have been, 'teaching sexual abstinence' as an effective tool...

[peejay 327]

Sexual abstinence as an effective tool in reducing teenage pregnancy is a complete "myth"

That's a strange claim. If teenagers abstain from sex and *still* get pregnant, what can we do?

Put saltpeter in their food at school. That should do the trick.

Otherwise...have them spayed or neutered.

[ace13 0]

People whether 17 or 77 will always have free will, but the responsibility of adults is to teach and preach what is right and wrong. That is the best we can do.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

People whether 17 or 77 will always have free will, but the responsibility of adults is to teach and preach what is right and wrong. That is the best we can do.

But since you talked about the lessor of two evils in the other thread - what's the lesser of two evils? Unwanted pregnancies or teenagers having sex? Keeping in mind that most often, teenagers are going to have sex no matter what you tell them.

[ace13 0]

People whether 17 or 77 will always have free will, but the responsibility of adults is to teach and preach what is right and wrong. That is the best we can do.

But since you talked about the lessor of two evils in the other thread - what's the lesser of two evils? Unwanted pregnancies or teenagers having sex? Keeping in mind that most often, teenagers are going to have sex no matter what you tell them.

I am pretty welcoming to life, and I would never use the word UNWANTED. Some pregnancies are UNPLANNED, but children are always always always a gift from God. Sometimes, though not ideal, teens that have kids turn their lives around and make better decisions after being faced with growing up quickly. Kids/teens are not stupid, if they are going to make the poor decision to have sex that could lead to an unplanned pregnancy that would forever change their life, they are going to do it. From birth you teach them and what is right and wrong with the hopes that something someday will click and you pray that if they are in the situation where there is the opportunity to have sex that they will think twice about it.

same with smoking and drugs. I can't hold their hand or be with them every minute.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

People whether 17 or 77 will always have free will, but the responsibility of adults is to teach and preach what is right and wrong. That is the best we can do.

But since you talked about the lessor of two evils in the other thread - what's the lesser of two evils? Unwanted pregnancies or teenagers having sex? Keeping in mind that most often, teenagers are going to have sex no matter what you tell them.

I am pretty welcoming to life, and I would never use the word UNWANTED. Some pregnancies are UNPLANNED, but children are always always always a gift from God. Sometimes, though not ideal, teens that have kids turn their lives around and make better decisions after being faced with growing up quickly. Kids/teens are not stupid, if they are going to make the poor decision to have sex that could lead to an unplanned pregnancy that would forever change their life, they are going to do it. From birth you teach them and what is right and wrong with the hopes that something someday will click and you pray that if they are in the situation where there is the opportunity to have sex that they will think twice about it.

same with smoking and drugs. I can't hold their hand or be with them every minute.

If your teenage daughter says, "Mom, I couldn't wait until marriage. I'm sleeping with my boyfriend," what would you tell her?

Edited December 1, 2006 by Steven_and_Jinky

[ace13 0]

People whether 17 or 77 will always have free will, but the responsibility of adults is to teach and preach what is right and wrong. That is the best we can do.

But since you talked about the lessor of two evils in the other thread - what's the lesser of two evils? Unwanted pregnancies or teenagers having sex? Keeping in mind that most often, teenagers are going to have sex no matter what you tell them.

I am pretty welcoming to life, and I would never use the word UNWANTED. Some pregnancies are UNPLANNED, but children are always always always a gift from God. Sometimes, though not ideal, teens that have kids turn their lives around and make better decisions after being faced with growing up quickly. Kids/teens are not stupid, if they are going to make the poor decision to have sex that could lead to an unplanned pregnancy that would forever change their life, they are going to do it. From birth you teach them and what is right and wrong with the hopes that something someday will click and you pray that if they are in the situation where there is the opportunity to have sex that they will think twice about it.

same with smoking and drugs. I can't hold their hand or be with them every minute.

If your teenage daughter says, "Mom, I couldn't wait until marriage. I'm sleeping with my boyfriend," what would you tell her?

I would ask her why in the world she thinks that is the best decision for herself and then listen to what she has to say.

[Alex+R 0]

People whether 17 or 77 will always have free will, but the responsibility of adults is to teach and preach what is right and wrong. That is the best we can do.

But since you talked about the lessor of two evils in the other thread - what's the lesser of two evils? Unwanted pregnancies or teenagers having sex? Keeping in mind that most often, teenagers are going to have sex no matter what you tell them.

I am pretty welcoming to life, and I would never use the word UNWANTED. Some pregnancies are UNPLANNED, but children are always always always a gift from God. Sometimes, though not ideal, teens that have kids turn their lives around and make better decisions after being faced with growing up quickly. Kids/teens are not stupid, if they are going to make the poor decision to have sex that could lead to an unplanned pregnancy that would forever change their life, they are going to do it. From birth you teach them and what is right and wrong with the hopes that something someday will click and you pray that if they are in the situation where there is the opportunity to have sex that they will think twice about it.

same with smoking and drugs. I can't hold their hand or be with them every minute.

If your teenage daughter says, "Mom, I couldn't wait until marriage. I'm sleeping with my boyfriend," what would you tell her?

I would ask her why in the world she thinks that is the best decision for herself and then listen to what she has to say.

When she's told you what she feels, which in this scenario is presumably that sex before marriage or in the teen years isn't wrong, will you tell her that what she's done is bad, or that she should use a condom?

[ace13 0]

People whether 17 or 77 will always have free will, but the responsibility of adults is to teach and preach what is right and wrong. That is the best we can do.

But since you talked about the lessor of two evils in the other thread - what's the lesser of two evils? Unwanted pregnancies or teenagers having sex? Keeping in mind that most often, teenagers are going to have sex no matter what you tell them.

I am pretty welcoming to life, and I would never use the word UNWANTED. Some pregnancies are UNPLANNED, but children are always always always a gift from God. Sometimes, though not ideal, teens that have kids turn their lives around and make better decisions after being faced with growing up quickly. Kids/teens are not stupid, if they are going to make the poor decision to have sex that could lead to an unplanned pregnancy that would forever change their life, they are going to do it. From birth you teach them and what is right and wrong with the hopes that something someday will click and you pray that if they are in the situation where there is the opportunity to have sex that they will think twice about it.

same with smoking and drugs. I can't hold their hand or be with them every minute.

If your teenage daughter says, "Mom, I couldn't wait until marriage. I'm sleeping with my boyfriend," what would you tell her?

I would ask her why in the world she thinks that is the best decision for herself and then listen to what she has to say.

When she's told you what she feels, which in this scenario is presumably that sex before marriage or in the teen years isn't wrong, will you tell her that what she's done is bad, or that she should use a condom?

I would tell her she should stop and why.

[mawilson 2,133]

If your teenage daughter says, "Mom, I couldn't wait until marriage. I'm sleeping with my boyfriend," what would you tell her?

Wait until marriage?

What planetcentury are you from?

[Alex+R 0]

If your teenage daughter says, "Mom, I couldn't wait until marriage. I'm sleeping with my boyfriend," what would you tell her?

Wait until marriage?

What planetcentury are you from?

It seems clear that ace13's daughter would probably say something like that.

Ace13, if your daughter refuses to stop, would you enlighten her on birth control, or tell her that birth control is wrong?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

If your teenage daughter says, "Mom, I couldn't wait until marriage. I'm sleeping with my boyfriend," what would you tell her?

Wait until marriage?

What planetcentury are you from?

That is an ideal for many people, particularly for those who believe that sex is sacred. I'm more pragmatic about it. It's a great ideal and I believe there is truth behind that notion, however, I don't prescribe to the idea that sex outside of marriage is necessarily morally deviant. (I'm speaking in the religious, moral context that is behind the 'teaching abstinence' policy).

Edited December 2, 2006 by Steven_and_Jinky

[Fandango 1,439]

I'd tell my daughter that teenage boys are two pump chumps and it's not even worth her time