Abstinence Is Best message
Guest Opinion: Daily Herald
Shelly Ver Steeg
August 9, 2007

Utah legislators are currently battling over sexuality education for our young people. The battle can be described as "will my child be taught abstinence until marriage," or "will they be taught comprehensive sex education"? While abstinence education is continually misrepresented by its opponents, studies show that when parents become aware of what abstinence education versus what "comprehensive" sex education really teaches, support for abstinence programs increases dramatically.

Sen. Scott McCoy points to a study that seemingly indicates abstinence programs are ineffective. However, the Mathematica Research study he refers to examined only four out of more than 700 Title V abstinence programs. These narrow findings represent less than 1 percent of all Title V projects across the nation. The four programs pointed to in the study were given to 11- and 12-year-olds and there was no follow up through the teen years.

The fact is, comprehensive sex education is not about encouraging kids to use condoms. Comprehensive sex education is about indoctrinating teens with the myth that having sex is about "doing what's right for you" -- whenever you want, with whomever you want, and however you want. Oh, and by the way, if you don't want to get pregnant you may want to use birth control -- can you pass the banana for a demo, please?

If the concern is about rising sexually transmitted disease rates, then a few relevant points need to be made: The main purpose of contraceptives is to prevent pregnancy. The main purpose of most contraceptives is NOT to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. In fact, most contraceptive methods provide absolutely NO protections against STDs. The only contraceptive methods that have been proven to provide any protection against STDs are the male condom and, to a limited degree spermicide.

However, the risk reduction rates so oft repeated by those favoring comprehensive sex education rarely mention that those numbers are only accurate when condom use is consistent and correct 100 percent of the time. Any error, and there are lots that are made, decreases the effectiveness.

Condoms do not prevent the transmission of STDs from any area that is not directly covered by the condom. In addition, a recent review by the Centers for Disease Control determined that there is no clinical proof that condoms are effective in reducing the risk of chlamydia. Nor do they provide any protection against HPV or trichomonas. And despite all these facts, the practical reality is that men don't like condoms, and a male teen is even less likely to use one.

Here's another little secret: virtually every STD can be transmitted during vaginal, anal or oral sex. Most young people believe that if it's not vaginal intercourse, it's not sex. Therefore, even if they're engaging in oral sex with multiple partners, they don't see themselves as being sexually active. Oral sex has been found to spread syphilis, gonorrhea, HIV, HPV, genital herpes, chlamydia and possibly hepatitis C. Anywhere genital contact is involved, a person puts himself/herself at risk.

Abstinence-based education is not about sticking your head in the sand -- it is about encouraging our youth to make wise and healthy choices in all areas of their lives, and educating them that the surest way to avoid pregnancy and/or infection with any sexually transmitted disease is to postpone any sexual activity until marriage with an uninfected partner and remaining sexually faithful to that one partner.

Will they all listen? Of course not. Americans have been ignoring the Health Department for years regarding healthy eating and getting exercise, but that doesn't mean the message is flawed. It means people will sometimes make bad choices regardless of the facts and the effect on their health. Yet no one seems to be knocking down doors on Capitol Hill complaining that our teens aren't eating healthy and ought to be taught how to self-induce vomiting, have taxpayer funded access to diet pills, and gastric bypass surgery without parental consent. Rather, thinking adults acknowledge the truth behind the nutrition/exercise message and do their best to pass this information on.

The truth regarding abstinence being the safest and healthiest choice for unmarried individuals is no different. The message doesn't need to change, but the attitude toward it does.

Shelley Ver Steeg is executive director of the Pregnancy Resource Center in Orem.