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"Just Say No" sex education doesn't work

It's a good thing our opponents don't hold my fellow critical thinkers to the same evidentiary standards we hold them. Geesh.

Abstinence programs have, in fact, been seen to make some progress in many districts across the country. Pulling one news report out - especially from one of Ohio's most troubled, corrupt and long-dawdling school districts - and saying "it's true" is hardly good skepticism.
 
westphalia said:
Abstinence programs have, in fact, been seen to make some progress in many districts across the country.
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I've seen no credible reports of this. Which may simply be a deficiency in my reading, one that I invite you to correct.
 
NPR's Talk Of The Nation had a two-hour segment on sex education some months ago.
Many of the schools that provide "abstinence only" education programs also provide conventional sex-ed programs. They just take the money for same from different sources.

It was also interesting to note that many teen-agers, in response to abstinence-based programs, simply made their own definition of abstinence.

In some cases, virtually any sexual practice that would not result in pregnancy qualified.
 
westphalia said:
Abstinence programs have, in fact, been seen to make some progress in many districts across the country.
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it's true! With abstinence you can reduce teenage pregnancies down to almost zero!*


*well, there's always one isn't there? (probably with a turkey baster......)
 
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andyandy said:
it's true! With abstinence you can reduce teenage pregnancies down to almost zero!*
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The problem is the difference between "abstinence programs" and "abstinence."

As far as I know, the body of evidence suggests that the former actually reduce the latter.
 
westphalia said:
It's a good thing our opponents don't hold my fellow critical thinkers to the same evidentiary standards we hold them. Geesh.

Abstinence programs have, in fact, been seen to make some progress in many districts across the country. Pulling one news report out - especially from one of Ohio's most troubled, corrupt and long-dawdling school districts - and saying "it's true" is hardly good skepticism.
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I'm going to jump on the bandwagon -- but with sources!

From Planned Parenthood:
Abstinence-only sexuality education doesn't work. There is little evidence that teens who participate in abstinence-only programs abstain from intercourse longer than others. It is known, however that when they do become sexually active, teens who received abstinence-only education often fail to use condoms or other contraceptives. In fact, 88 percent of students who pledged virginity in middle school and high school still engage in premarital sex. The students who break this pledge are less likely to use contraception at first intercourse, and they have similar rates of sexually transmitted infections as non-pledgers (Walters, 2005; Bearman and Brueckner, 2001). Meanwhile, students in comprehensive sexuality education classes do not engage in sexual activity more often or earlier, but do use contraception and practice safer sex more consistently when they become sexually active (AGI, 2003a; Jemmott, et al., 1998; Kirby, 1999; Kirby, 2000; NARAL, 1998).
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If Planned Parenthood is too biased for you, here's The Journal of Adolescent Health:
Providing “abstinence only” or “abstinence until marriage” messages as a sole option for teenagers is flawed from scientific and medical ethics viewpoints. Efforts to promote abstinence should be based on sound science. Although federal support of abstinence-only programs has grown rapidly since 1996, the evaluations of such programs find little evidence of efficacy in delaying initiation of sexual intercourse.
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westphalia said:
It's a good thing our opponents don't hold my fellow critical thinkers to the same evidentiary standards we hold them. Geesh.

Abstinence programs have, in fact, been seen to make some progress in many districts across the country. Pulling one news report out - especially from one of Ohio's most troubled, corrupt and long-dawdling school districts - and saying "it's true" is hardly good skepticism.
Click to expand...

The (mainly) USA encouraged abstinence programs in Africa to prevent AIDS are largely credited with the total faliure to prevent AIDS. In areas where safe sex and condoms are promoted the incidence of AIDS is much lower than in those where the churches are allowed to condemn condoms and only promote total abstinence.

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg19025505.800.html
 
both my daughters had a great "health" education. Things that were really clever, and got the girls thinking. Also talking to parents, part of their homework would be to ask us questions. I had to be surrogate parent for one of my daughters friends (with her moms permission). The mom is from a foreign culture where talking about sex is just not done. But the mom was cool with her asking me silly questions! (they were silly, like, "What do YOU wish your first time HAD been like?" they actuall pushed us to stick to the question and NOT tell all about our personal sex life! Kids don't like that, so these questions would get the parents to tell their viewpoint, while not grossing out the kids. Almost all the dads answered the question with "I wish it was with Angelina Jolie" or something like that. We finally figured out the point was to TALK, it didn't matter about what.)

My favorite part was when they did the "sleep" class (most teens have some insomnia). All the kids brought pillows to school!!!
 
drkitten said:
The problem is the difference between "abstinence programs" and "abstinence."

As far as I know, the body of evidence suggests that the former actually reduce the latter.
Click to expand...

that's kids for ya....:)

perhaps someone should try a "just say yes to sex" campaign.....
 
I sure am the smartest person on the face of the Earth.

pgwenthold said:
At least, it hasn't in this school...
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What I don't understand is, why would anyone even assume something so asinine would? Weren't these people teenagers once? It reminds me of the D.A.R.E program in a way. If politicians and educators are so obsessed with intruding into kids' lives, what would actually get their attention is to show them how to actually perform in bed, then throw them a FL-STU to practice with, rather than keep the hose kinked (non pun intended) until marriage or use condoms, which only lousy lovers use anyway. Every girl in the entire class would then want to know who lasted the longest, and every guy would compete for the title, problem solved. The whole issue is semen retention, not abstinace, anyway, it's a life skill that would last well into marriage, and something worth bragging about.
 
brodski said:
Would that be the 'Just say "yes, yes YES, OH MY GOD YES"' campaign?
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lol :D

I was thinking more of the Monty Python sketch (meaning of life?) where John Cleese brings his wife into his sex education class at school and proceeds to graphically teach his schoolboys about sex on a fold-down bed at the front of class......suffice to say, seeing "sir" at it would immediately make sex like so uncool....
 
All I know is that back in the Netherlands, I started getting sex ed at the age of twelve, abstinence wasn't even discussed, and my school was not atypical of state-funded education. The Netherlands has had one of the lowest teenage pregnancy rates for years, and while I am aware of the risk of committing a "post hoc ergo propter hoc," I don't believe for a second that there's no causal relationship between the two factors.
 
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