Teen Abstinence

[Insidious Rex]

http://www.entmoot.com/showpost.php?...0&postcount=95

[Nurvingiel]

Originally Posted by Insidious Rex

http://www.entmoot.com/showpost.php?...0&postcount=95

Oops... heh heh... I thought I had seen it on the board. Erm... well, at least it wasn't the same article...

[Insidious Rex]

Well its worth bringing to light again anyway. Especially with the PDF link.

[Nurvingiel]

Yes. I even commented on the article you posted!

I'm a strong believer in not lying to youth. These past two articles on the abstinence-only sex ed classes seem to be an extreme example of blating lying to young people. How is that going to promote abstinence?

In these classes, it's abstinence or bust. Sex is not discussed truthfully. Abstinence is a good idea, but it's not for everyone. A lot of teens will have sex, so those behind this program should get their heads out of the sand and acknowledge that, then do something productive about it. Pretending the world exists in black and white when it excists in colour is useless.

If I was a parent and my teen was in this class I would...

1. Have an honest sex talk with my teen (again, possibly. I'm not going to wait for my school to start educating my child, I'm going to do it myself.)

2. Ask that my teen be allowed to drop the class and take something useful if he/she wants.

3. Try to stop this wrongness.

Since I will always have been honest with my child, he can believe what I tell him about sex.

[inked]

Janny cross-posted this in #42 of this thread!

Since it seems re-post fever has hit, I submit!

by Inked, in the venting thread
Abstinence Can Be Taught To Teenagers
by Michael J. McManus

CHARLESTON, S.C. For 15 years I've written columns about how teenagers can be taught to abstain from sexual activity, but I have never seen a program as effective as what Heritage Community Services offers to 25,000 students a year in South Carolina and elsewhere.

Dr. Stan Weed, President of the Institute for Research and Evaluation, studied the sex initiation rates for a large sample of 8,346 S.C. students in Grades 7-9 from 1999-2001. He found that on average, 15.6 percent began sexual activity over a year's period.

However, if the students were exposed to 450 minutes of the Heritage Keepers Abstinence Program, or ten 45 minute classes in the 7th grade, only 9.1% initiated sexual activity, a remarkable 42 percent reduction. And if the students attended another 450 minutes in the 8th grade, only 4.3 percent became sexually active.

That is a stunning 72 percent reduction in the initiation of sexual activity.

"Abstinence education, when thoughtfully designed, carefully developed and rigorously implemented, changes the sexual behavior of adolescents," Weed asserted in a recent speech.

"The process by which these changes occur is becoming better understood. We know some of the key factors which affect that behavior, many of which are amenable to influence, and that programmatic intervention can effectively address them," he added.

What are those factors? There are five:

1. Self Efficacy, "the degree to which you can do what you have set out to do," says Anne Badgley, Heritage President. It is more than self-worth - a self confidence about their ability to accomplish something important, such as remaining chaste.

2. Future Orientation is "the degree to which they see their future so clearly that it influences what they do today." Most adolescents have only a present orientation, doing what gives them immediate satisfaction. Heritage helps them "to get a vision for the long-term, by developing an expectation that if they can delay gratification, the rewards are deeper and longer lasting," asserted Mrs. Badgley.

Most of the kids in South Carolina public schools have never seen or had explained what a healthy marriage is. Its building blocks are what is emotionally familiar, socially and intellectually satisfying. "We say that sex is like fire, which means it is important to have it surrounded by a fireplace, which makes it a safe place - a lifelong relationship, a commitment that they are worth that kind of love and are built for a vison that all long for, which a genital relationship would destroy. They must avoid the risk of sexual activity if they are to have hopefor the future," she explained.

3. Sexual Values affirm the value of abstinence and reject permissiveness.

4. Peer Independence is the degree to which a student can resist pressure from peers that would put him or her at risk. Like the other qualities, "refusal skills" are measured with a series of five to seven questions that are predictors of the degree to which they can take a stand with their peers: "Even when my friends want to do something I believe is wrong, I can stand up to them even if they get mad with me."

5. Behavior Intentions is one of the strongest predictors of whether they will remain chaste. Those who intend to abstain are more likely to abstain than those who are not sure what they want to do.

These five important predictors of future sexual activity were first identified by Dr. Stan Weed more than a decade ago. What Mrs. Badgley and her associates have done is to construct a course that builds upon them, creating a life skills program that incorporates a future orientation and peer independence into lessons that young people can understand.

After the core curriculum is delivered in Grades 6 and 7, there is a Heritage Keepers Life Skills Education offered at five levels, a dozen 90 minute lessons for Grades 8, 9, 10,11 and 12 that helps students maintain their commitment as they get older, and the temptations grow.

Finally, Heritage developed courses for churches and even parents on how to help their children achieve the benefits of sexual abstinence and avoid consequences of sex outside of marriage, which many of them know all too well. Parents love the course and are grateful.

"When you think that the children are bombarded with sexual messages, just two interventions can make a huge difference," Mrs. Badgley concluded. "Every child should have the opportunity to hear this message, delivered by people who really believe in them and the message."

END TXT Copyright 2004 Michael J. McManus
********************************************

Another viewpoint and success!

[inked]

See the report on teen sex in TIME, last week.

Course, I think you should all be careful at all times if electing sexual activity.

I note that 50% of teens reported sexual activity by the end of high school (12th grade). That means people that 50% are not sexually active by the end of high school, giving those abstinent individuals plenty of compatriots.

So, given the rhetoric of the permissive society, we could say that "everyone's doing it" and mean abstinence, right? After all, the contention is that everyone is doing sex, isn't it? But if it's 50:50, that means ... .

[Insidious Rex]

that 50% of kids are in vital need of proper sex education?

[inked]

Why, yes, IR, we agree. The 50% engaging in sex before marriage in high school should be instructed in the value of abstinence and responsibility for self and others! So glad we agree!!!

[Insidious Rex]

so what is "and responsibility for self and others" code for exactly? Is that your way of saying sex education?

[Draken]

Thanks for the re-post, I just love to see social science researchers in full flow...

Originally Posted by inked

Janny cross-posted this in #42 of this thread!

Since it seems re-post fever has hit, I submit!

by Inked, in the venting thread
Abstinence Can Be Taught To Teenagers
by Michael J. McManus

CHARLESTON, S.C. For 15 years I've written columns about how teenagers can be taught to abstain from sexual activity, but I have never seen a program as effective as what Heritage Community Services offers to 25,000 students a year in South Carolina and elsewhere.

Dr. Stan Weed, President of the Institute for Research and Evaluation, studied the sex initiation rates for a large sample of 8,346 S.C. students in Grades 7-9 from 1999-2001. He found that on average, 15.6 percent began sexual activity over a year's period.

However, if the students were exposed to 450 minutes of the Heritage Keepers Abstinence Program, or ten 45 minute classes in the 7th grade, only 9.1% initiated sexual activity, a remarkable 42 percent reduction. And if the students attended another 450 minutes in the 8th grade, only 4.3 percent became sexually active.

That is a stunning 72 percent reduction in the initiation of sexual activity.

And what of the control group? Were they subjected to 450 minutes of some other programme? Or just not talked to at all? Barring hidden cameras, I would assume the data was gathered by survey - is it not plausible that the group receiving 450 minutes of adult disapproval had worked out what the researcher wanted to hear?

Originally Posted by inked

1. Self Efficacy, "the degree to which you can do what you have set out to do," says Anne Badgley, Heritage President. It is more than self-worth - a self confidence about their ability to accomplish something important, such as remaining chaste.

Wahay, I accomplished something important in my teen years! Here's me thinking I was just crap with girls.

Originally Posted by inked

Those who intend to abstain are more likely to abstain than those who are not sure what they want to do.

Wow. He's profound, that Dr. Weed. Let me guess - he majored in 'Stating the Bleeding Obvious'?

Originally Posted by inked

After the core curriculum is delivered in Grades 6 and 7, there is a Heritage Keepers Life Skills Education offered at five levels, a dozen 90 minute lessons for Grades 8, 9, 10,11 and 12 that helps students maintain their commitment as they get older, and the temptations grow.

"Kids, don't shag, ok?" How can you stretch that out to a dozen 90 minute lessons? And how the heck do schools find time to add that to the curriculum? Still, I suppose it would fill the gap left when they scrapped teaching Evolution....

Maybe someone should just tell the little buggers it straight without the 1950s moralising: NO amount of short term fun is worth the long term fun you'll miss out on should rugrats arrive (I'll lend a couple of mine if any of them need convincing. It won't take long). They're far better off taking up a decent sport (rugby league, preferably) and waiting for marriage. Which is of course when true abstinence starts.

[Rían]

Originally Posted by Draken

Which is of course when true abstinence starts.

Boy, are YOU wrong, Bucko! (at least in my case...) I like the chapter title of one of the excellent books on sex - "Sex - the 20-year warmup!" and another, "Sex starts in the kitchen!"

I've been married almost 20 years now, and my husband and I have only had one sex partner - each other! - and it's fabulous. None of this "I wonder if I'm as good as she is..." and all that junk. None of this "We need to figure out the schedule of watching your kids from your high school fling, your college one-nighter, and your office hook-up."

Marriage is not simple. It's work - but the benefits of that work are fabulous! Sex only gets better with a committed spouse and a commitment to love (as opposed to "luv" ) each other.

[Varda]

because studies have shown that the rate of STDs and pregnancies is pretty damned high among those who practice abstinence, i.e., some end up in trouble anyway because it backfired on them.

Okay, I'm evil! I didn't wait for marriage, and I'm not ashamed.

I'm a psych major so here I'll lay the general ideas down by Freud (in boring gorry details).

Freud believed that EVERYTHING we do in life revolves around basic sexual drives. Sex was later substituted as 'energy' by his followers (i.e, Carl Jung). Either way, sex is a vital part of what makes us human. I don't think it's possible to exist as a human being without basic needs, be they sexual, hormonal or merely hunger.

I don't think people should be made to feel ashamed of their sexuality. I believe we've come far enough in evolution and society that people can be free and open about their love for others. However, I don't think any of us like seeing 15-year-olds as mothers. True, the main point of sexual reproduction is to make a life and continue down the course of evolution!

Thus, a certain amount of abstinence or cautiousness about sex is healthy (I myself haven't had in quite a long time... ) but repression of basic drives can lead to neurosis and self-hate.

[Elemmírë]

This thread makes me want to vent on college life.

I'm almost 19 now, and while I don't see anything morally wrong with having sex, I honestly don't see the great need for it.

That being said, it's incredibly aggravating when you can't get away from it. One of my friends had to flee her dormroom because her roommate had her boyfriend over and they were beginning to act rather... inappropriately. Common courtesy (not to mention pride or self-confidence) should say that you don't do something like that when someone else is in the room.

I know we're a bit older than what you're talking about... but have you ever seen a college dance or party? It's like a bloody orgy!

[The Wizard from Milan]

I think that the promotion of abstinence is morally wrong. I think it is morally wrong to forbid an act that has no third-party consequences (as teen sex is). I see how pregnancy could potentially be considered a third-party consequence and it indubitably is a third-party consequence if it is brought to completion. But that brings up the point of when is it not morally wrong to have children and that is a complex issue, and the age of the parents is not necessarily relevant to it.

[Elemmírë]

We crossposted, Wiz. Though I agree with you in part, in some cases it does involve (annoy, or harass) a third party.

[Starr Polish]

Wizard, it can have third party consequences when it comes to having multiple partners, particularly when STDs become involved.

And Varda...Freud was a coke head...

[Andúril]

Originally Posted by Elemmire

One of my friends had to flee her dormroom because her roommate had her boyfriend over and they were beginning to act rather... inappropriately.

She should have stayed to watch.

[Varda]

Originally Posted by Starr Polish

And Varda...Freud was a coke head...

Very true, but... that doesn't make anything less true.

I personally was very afraid of sex when I started. I am not as a rule sexually active. I avoided it like the plague. I feel uncomfortable even talking about it in public. However, I'm afraid that if I am this fearful now, I won't be able to act healthily in a more 'appopriate' way?

I think waiting for marriage is generally a good idea, not because of the laws the government mandates, but because it leads to a healthy union between two people.

Incidentally, I'm on medication, which leads me to be even less active than I would be (if that's possible)...

Also, my own parents never had a healthy relationship, so I've never had anything to model on besides TV, pop culture and... oh, I dunno, online people?

[Varda]

I just thought of this. Why is sex scary? In other cultures, men can have more than one wife. In very few cultures, women can have more than one husband.

Why are we afraid of our own bodies?

[Draken]

Originally Posted by RÃ*an

Boy, are YOU wrong, Bucko!

Irony not your strong point, I take it?