Should “Abstinence-Until-Marriage” Be the Only Message for Teens Issue 19 Jake Kucek Should “Abstinence-Until-Marriage” Be the Only Message for Teens

Yes Bridget E. Maher- “Abstinence Until Marriage: The Best Message for Teens,” Family Research Council (2004) No Debra Hauser- Five Years of Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Education: Assessing the impact (2004)

Yes “safe sex” programs abstinence is a minor topic while condom usage is encouraged because they assume that sex is going to happen no matter what Abstinence organizations not only teach the youth to say no to unwed sex, they teach them the skills they need to be abstinent. self-esteem building, self-control, decision-making, goal setting, character education and communication skills. Those who cannot refrain from sex are likely to experience negative emotional and physical effects Emotional; regret, guilt, lowered self-respect fear of commitment and depression. Physical; get pregnant and also an STD. Today one out of three births is from parents not legally married to one another. Each year three million teens are affected with a sexually transmitted disease.

No On the other hand Sex education promotes abstinence but also includes knowledge of contraceptives and condoms for when the young adult does become sexually active. Argue that abstinence only programs give no information about contraceptives other than their failure rates. When they discuss the failure rates of the protection they use, it leaves the youth unsure and undecided about them. Evaluations were done on eleven programs with the results showing a couple of short term benefits but no long term positive impact. ¾ of an evaluation program showed no long term positive impact on participants intentions to abstain from sexual intercourse

My Opinion; No Cant force Teens into anything Instead education should be informing these teens on how to avoid unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. In today’s society we are very desensitized to sex Michael McGee, vice president for education at Planned Parenthood Federation of America says, "pregnancy and STDs are not something teens should be ignorant about preventing. I think it is morally irresponsible to deprive young people of information that can save their lives.“ The Obama administration eliminated more than $170 million in annual federal funding targeted at abstinence programs after a series of reports concluded that the approach was ineffective. Instead, the White House is launching a $114 million pregnancy prevention initiative that will fund only programs that have been shown scientifically to work (Stein).

Works Cited "Abstinence Only Vs. Sex Ed." WebMD. WebMD, 22 June 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/abstinence-vs-sex-ed?page=2>. Conklin, Kurt. "Adolescent Sexual Behavior: Demographics." Adolescent Sexual Behavior: Demographics. Advocates for Youth, 12 Feb. 2012. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/413?task=view>. Stein, Rob. "Abstinence-only Programs Might Work, Study Says." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 02 Feb. 2010. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/01/AR2010020102628.html>.