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Abstinence Education Works - New Report Offers More Evidence

Contraception educators have been lying to kids for decades says leader

SIOUX FALLS, SD, December 10, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Amidst cries for scientific proof and medical accuracy the National Center for Health Statistics (CDC) released two reports today offering more evidence that abstinence education works.

According to one of the reports, "Teenagers in the United States: Sexual Activity, Contraceptive Use, and Childbearing, 2002", fewer teens are having sex. Declines were particularly large among males age 15-19. That correlates with the finding that the majority of teens reported receiving formal instruction on how to refuse sexual advances. The report also found that adolescents who chose to engage in sexual activity did so at older ages compared with a similar 1995 review.

The findings of this report reveal the total number of teens abstaining from sex before marriage nearly achieves the Healthy People 2010 targets, six years early. Abstinence target rates of 90 percent for teens under age 15 and 75 percent for teens among 15-17 were set as a first wave goal.

"It's hard to argue with numbers. Abstinence education is reaching kids where they're at and helping them to make healthy choices for their futures," said Leslee J. Unruh, president of the Abstinence Clearinghouse. "Kids want the truth. Contraception educators have been lying to them for decades, saying that sex outside of marriage can be casual and safe. That's just not true and kids have learned it the hard way, by watching their friends get pregnant or contract an STD. They want something better. That's why they're choosing abstinence."

The report did contain some bad news. An estimated 9 percent of sexually active females age 18-24 reported that their first intercourse was non-voluntary. "This number is, by anyone's standard, simply unacceptable and underscores the need for age-appropriate discussion about good touch/bad touch and the need for teaching refusal skills to young girls," said Christina Espenscheid, Educational Programs Director for the Abstinence Clearinghouse.

A second report released today, "Use of Contraception and the Use of Family Planning Services in the United States: 1982 - 2002", also revealed bad news for contraception education proponents. More women are relying on family planning services than ever before and yet the outcomes of the studies released today reveal a declining situation related to birth spacing and pregnancy prevention education.

"Contraception pushers wanted studies and in-depth analysis of sex education programs," said Unruh. "Well, they got them. I hope they're ready. They've got some explaining to do."

See the study online:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_024.pdf

jhw

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