Abstinence Only Programs Losing Ground

Shocking, right? Abstinence-Only sex education doesn't work? Who knew? Well, I for one never expected it to work. I'm just surprised it lasted as long as it did. Billions of wasted dollars spewing religious propaganda. Abstinence until marriage. Give me a break. That's not a solution. Even if people did wait until marriage, that doesn't immunize anyone from contracting STD's. Given the fact that half of all people who do get married, eventually divorce anyway. So, waiting until marriage is ridiculous. Besides, it is nearly impossible for people to wait that long. Young people are postponing marriages until they are older and I'm not sure what the median age of marriage is these days, but I doubt it's in the early twenties. Not many are going to wait to have sex until they get married, except for the very religious. So, since the reality is that a large number of teenagers have sex, why not try and make it as safe for them as possible by giving them all the information they need and thus let them make an informed decision. I know many teenagers don't exactly have a reputation for clear thinking but still it would be better that they know all their options than raising them to be ignorant of human sexuality.

There are many options. It's hard for me to imagine that most teenagers who own a TV have never heard of condoms or the pill or even abortion. And if there are those who do not know, then it's very critical that they do. Virginity pledges and abstinence groups or whatever is not going to significantly reduce teen pregnancies. It's been studied and the results of abstinence-only programs is that it just doesn't work.

Thankfully I went to high school in Canada and was not taught this nonsense but I knew it was going on in U.S. high schools and it just made me laugh. No abstinence-only sex ed program would have prevented me from having sex. I knew what to do if I got pregnant accidentally and I also knew the best precautions to take to minimize that happening. First of all, using condoms was paramount as well as being on the pill or using the patch. Second, I knew if I had unprotected sex that I could go to the hospital or a clinic and ask for RU486, or the "abortion pill" as it is known. And if I encountered a doctor who refused to give it to me, I wouldn't leave until I got one. I would scream bloody murder until I was given that which I have a right to be given. Lastly, if all else fails, I would get an abortion. But that's just me. Abortion is not such a politically charged issue here as it is in the U.S. No doubt, due to religious fundamental evangelicals and the Christian Right. Of the top ten states with the highest rate of teen pregnancy, 6 of them are in the "Bible Belt." The other four are Nevada (ranked number 1), Nebraska (right behind Nevada at number 2), New Mexico and California, placed 4th and 7th respectively. So much for the theory that Hollywood is a bad moral influence. Georgia was right behind California and came pretty close to a tie. In the words of Christopher Hitchens, religion poisons everything.

So, I guess it would be harder for teenagers in the U.S. to prevent pregnancies given the religiosity of politicians and lawmakers and no doubt religiously-inspired programs like the abstinence nonsense. Not to mention the high cost of abortions there too. In Canada and Europe, abortion is covered under medical plans or national health plans. Also, in Canada the rate of teen pregnancies has been steadily declining since the mid '90s.

All of these obstructions to safe sex contributes to the high rate of teen pregnancies in the United States. It's time for the U.S. government to realize that what they're doing to reduce teen pregnancies is not working and maybe look to other countries' solutions who have managed to reduce the number of teen pregnancies.