Abstinence Education in Schools

The world we live in has been sexualized in just about every way. Our children can’t turn on the television without being inundated with racy images and messages. How do children growing up in this environment learn about respecting themselves and others as they contemplate sexual activities? How do they learn what is or isn’t appropriate, and at what age? How can they learn the skills necessary to resist what pop-culture tries to constantly force upon them in terms of sexuality and self-image?

One effective method of arming our children with important information is through Abstinence Education programs at schools. Schools in the U.S. generally begin teaching some type of “maturation” classes in the upper grades of elementary school and then introduce sex education classes in junior high or middle school. This is sometimes followed up with more extensive sex education classes in high school. In many cases, a sex education program is part of the health curriculum. The topics discussed and the methods used to teach are often a concern to many parents and lawmakers. Through Abstinence Education, teens are taught that abstaining from sex is the only way to avoid all physical and emotional risks associated with casual sex. Some Abstinence programs give limited information about contraception and STDs, but they focus on the importance of delaying sexual activity and resisting the pressures of our sexualized society. When teens are given appropriate medical information and taught abstinence they can make decisions that will maintain their sexual health and well-being. Abstinence Education programs empower teens to say “no” and mean it, without being scared of sex.

Funding for Abstinence Education Cut by Obama

Congress first allocated $80 million in grants for Abstinence-only Education programs in 1999. Eligibility for abstinence funding is based on guidelines that limit the introduction of content related to contraception, sexual orientation, etc. The focus of the programs receiving abstinence funding must actually be abstinence – refraining from sex. In 2005 the Bush administration backed the movement with $168 million. Programs throughout the U.S. have been implemented mostly in schools, where children and teens can be given good information at an early age.

Unfortunately, President Obama’s new budget indicates that he will fulfill his campaign promise to cut funding for Abstinence Education. His budget would eliminate most money for Abstinence-only Education and shift it to a different program aimed at teen pregnancy prevention. The new budget allocates nearly $178 million for teen pregnancy prevention, with a portion of that going to “innovative” programs.

The executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA) responded to Pres. Obama’s budget cut by saying, “At a time when teens are subjected to an increasingly sexualized culture, it is essential that common-sense legislators from both sides of the aisle reject this extreme attempt to defund the only approach that removes all risk. Members of Congress would be well advised to listen to youth and parents in their districts who overwhelmingly support these valuable programs.”

Abstinence-only vs. Comprehensive Sex Education

There is a fierce debate between supporters of Abstinence-only Education and Comprehensive Sex Education as to which program is most appropriate and really has a significant positive effect on children and teens. Supporters of Abstinence-only say that traditional sex education sends mixed messages and that abstinence is the only method that is 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). An excellent article by the Heritage Foundation outlines important facts about early teen sexuality and the effectiveness of Abstinence Education. For example, studies have shown that sexual activity at an early age has multiple harmful consequences including increased rates of infection with sexually transmitted diseases, increased rates of out-of-wedlock pregnancy and birth, increased rates of single parenthood, decreased marital stability, etc. The article also explains that “there are currently ten evaluations showing that abstinence education is effective in reducing teen sexual activity. Half of these evaluations have been published in peer-reviewed journals.” On the other side of the debate, the ACLU and others claim that Abstinence-only programs are ineffective, medically inaccurate and are there to promote religion. These groups question the validity of studies that repeatedly show how effective Abstinence Education really is.

As parents, school boards, policy makers, etc., grapple with finding the right balance for sex education in schools, some are trying to mix a variety of approaches. Some have implemented “Abstinence Plus” programs that do not focus on the message of true abstinence or refraining from sex until marriage. Unfortunately, the danger with these programs is that in the end, little or no emphasis is placed on encouraging students to abstain from sexual activity. Instead, a significant number of these programs heavily endorse condom use and condone sexual activity among teens, and simply give a mention of abstinence as one choice among many. Nearly all such programs contain material and messages that would be offensive and alarming to the majority of parents.

There is a great need for our teens to receive good information about sexual behavior, and receive it in a way that allows them to make good choices. The cultural norm in societies around the world accepts the fact that teens are sexually active, but with proper information about the positive effects of abstinence, teens will be able to resist society’s pressures. In a 2007 report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 47.8 percent of all U.S. high school students 9th through 12th grade report they have had sexual intercourse. The percentage of high school students who have had sex decreased 16 percent between 1991 and 2007 (54.1 percent to 47.8 percent). Teen pregnancy rates among teens aged 15-19 also decreased 38 percent between 1990 and 2004 according to The National Campaign to Prevent Teen an Unplanned Pregnancy. Abstinence Education can help continue this downward trend to give our children a chance to grow up and mature before engaging in sexual activity.

The Role of Parents and Families

Schools will always struggle to find the right balance when dealing with sex education. There will always be strong voices on each side of the issue trying to persuade us that their side is the right one. Ironically, however, it is not the school that can have the most significant influence on our children’s attitude toward sexual activity. A recent survey by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found that parents are more influential than peers, the media, teachers, and sex educators when it comes to a teen’s decisions about whether to have sex. Most parents don’t think their kids listen to what they say, but that is untrue. Parents have a tremendous opportunity if they will be vocal and upfront as they discuss expectations and acceptable actions with their children.

United Families supports Abstinence-only Education to help families as they confront a culture that has become extremely sexualized. Parents have an especially important role as they teach their children important concepts about self-worth and proper sexual health. The debate over funding for Abstinence-only programs continues and it is more important that ever to raise our voices in support of Abstinence Education as President Obama and members of Congress cut funding for this important program. We can make a difference in educating and empowering our youth to make good decisions that will benefit them now and throughout the rest of their lives.

Abstinence Day at U.S. Capitol

From CNA:
On Wednesday the National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA) is sponsoring Abstinence Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. by bringing nearly 500 teens to the U.S. Capitol.

The NAEA reported in a statement that the diverse group of teens will describe the positive benefit that abstinence education has made in their lives and to ask lawmakers and the White House to continue funding such programs.  Abstinence Day events include meeting with Congressional Offices, attending a youth-centered workshop and participating in an event designed to encourage peer-to-peer support of abstinence as the best choice.

“This is the ultimate Yes We Can message,” said one teen who registered for the event. “I hope our
voices will be heard.”

Valerie Huber, Executive Director of NAEA, said the teens constituted the organization’s “largest group ever.”

“We knew that this message resonated with teens, but this response has been overwhelming and indicates the strong support abstinence education has among American youth, schools and parents.”

FRC reported:
Nearly 500 students from across the country visited the U.S. Capitol to lobby their legislators on retaining abstinence funding. Many of these students have directly been impacted by abstinence education programs and come from areas that have extremely high teenage pregnancy rates. These eager and enthusiastic teens listened to FRC’s own David Christensen and Valerie Huber, Executive Director of the National Abstinence Education Assocation. Rep. Lee Terry of Nebraska also stopped by the event and added his own remarks. He urged the students to enjoy their time in Washington, D.C. and briefed them about the impact that they are making by visiting their legislators to discuss retaining abstinence funding.

8 Traits of Teens Who Abstain From Sex

Former head of the National Institutes of Health and the American Red Cross, Dr. Bernadine Healy, writes on research conducted on teens who choose chastity before marriage.  The following is an excerpt from her latest article, click here to read the full story.

Kids who can make abstinence decisions do better in school, too, even when the comparison group was matched for social background and the desire to pursue education. Abstinent teens are far more likely to attend and graduate from college than those who are sexually active, based on an analysis of the NIH-supported National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health by Robert Rector and Kirk Johnson, researchers at the Heritage Foundation. Seems obvious: less distraction and more time to study.

But maybe it’s more. The researchers identified eight personality and behavioral traits that were associated with both abstinence and academic achievement—traits that to some extent may be inborn but can also be taught and reinforced regularly at home and at school:

1. Future orientation, with a focus on long-term goals
2. Willingness to postpone current pleasures for larger future rewards
3. Perseverance, as in the ability to stick to a task or commitment
4. A belief that current behavior can positively affect the future
5. Impulse control, including ability to control emotions and desires
6. Resistance to peer influence
7. Respect for parental and social values
8. Sense of self-worth and personal dignity

The right kind of sex education of our young is really about more than sex. It’s about raising the kind of people we all want to be.

Gary Bauer Reports Anti-Family News

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The pro-abortion lobby, led by Planned Parenthood and NARAL, have put together a 55-page “strategy memo” outlining their demands on the next administration and Congress. Unbelievably, the Obama transition team posted the document on its website, which gives us a glimpse, an early warning, of the pro-abortion movement’s plan of attack.

It is developing a broad, sweeping assault on the right to life. It is demanding the repeal of all restrictions on abortion at every level. That means repealing the federal ban on the gruesome procedure of partial-birth abortion. That means repealing state parental notification laws. It means gutting abstinence education, while providing more of your hard-earned tax dollars to pay for condoms and birth control pills in the schools and more abortions at Planned Parenthood centers. We must fight this radical anti-life, anti-parent agent!

Unfortunately, that’s not all. The militant homosexual rights movement has also compiled its list of demands. Officials at the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force are saying publicly that they want hate crimes laws and special employment rights for homosexuals passed next year. We also anticipate a legislative assault in Congress against the Defense of Marriage Act and more efforts in the states to redefine marriage. Believe it or not, last week the Iowa Supreme Court heard arguments in a case seeking to force same-sex “marriage” in the American heartland. Just one month after the people of three states, including California, voted to protect the traditional meaning of marriage, the militant homosexual movement is still trying to get the courts to undo the will of the people!

Every Teen Doesn’t Have Sex

We constantly hear from Planned Parenthood and other liberals that “everybody does it.” And since every teen is supposedly sexually active, the remedy is condoms.

Now a new study comes out to refute those tired lines. And guess what? The Center for Disease Control study reports that just 34.1 percent of U.S. high school students are sexually active. That’s a little short of “everybody.” This figure is down from 54 percent in 1991, which is about the time that abstinence education began gathering momentum.

The 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System study showed a 2-percent dropoff in the percentage of teens who said they used condoms while having sex. As students progress through high school, their condom use drops off — despite the heavy dose of condom education by Planned Parenthood.

Despite the falling rates of sexual activity, there is still too much early sexual activity. In Mississippi and Delaware, more than 60 percent of high school students have had sexual intercourse. The rates are over 50 percent in 14 other states.

The further students go through high school, the more likely they are to engage in sexual activity:

Ninth-graders: 20.1 percent
Tenth-graders: 30.6 percent
Eleventh-graders: 41.8 percent
Twelfth-graders: 52.6 percent

Nearly 15 percent of high school students have had sexual intercourse with four or more persons in their life.

The figure for students having sex for the first time before the age of 13 is 7.1 percent. Just 4.5 percent of high school seniors fit this category.

Sexual activity among Black and White students is declining, but there was no decline among Hispanic students.

One of the surprising findings of the study is that 29.1 percent of high school students in San Francisco have ever had sex. In contrast, 70 percent of students in Baltimore had engaged in sexual intercourse. Other major metro cities with high rates were Detroit, Memphis, Milwaukee and Philadelphia.

Read the study