Yet more evidence that 'abstinence only' sex-ed DOESN'T work

[MattusMaximus]

Wow, color me surprised

Premarital Abstinence Pledges Ineffective, Study Finds

Teenagers who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are just as likely to have premarital sex as those who do not promise abstinence and are significantly less likely to use condoms and other forms of birth control when they do, according to a study released today.

The new analysis of data from a large federal survey found that more than half of youths became sexually active before marriage regardless of whether they had taken a "virginity pledge," but that the percentage who took precautions against pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases was 10 points lower for pledgers than for non-pledgers. ...

So, not only does it not work, but abstinence only sex-ed actually increases likelihood of pregnancy and STDs. Nice. Those high-and-mighty religious righties who've been pushing this bogus 'abstinence only' garbage for that last ten years or so must be soooo proud.

Well, at least with a new president coming in soon, we can hopefully see the end to funding this kind of stupidity.

 

[Edges]

Wow, color me surprised

Ditto.

So, not only does it not work, but abstinence only sex-ed actually increases likelihood of pregnancy and STDs.

This seems like it should be so obvious at this point, even if there weren't studies to prove it. After all, pledgers aren't planning to be sexually active and so don't ever prepare for being so. As well, they are far more likely to fall for myths about sex not having the education to challenge them. It's a shame that advocates of abstinance-only sex education seem to overlook or ignore these facts, even with several studies.

 

[IMST]

I read something interesting to where proponents of abstinence only may not see this as bad news at all:

Nobody Could Have Predicted


While the fact that virginity pledges and abstinence-only sex "ed" don't stop teens from having sex is unsurprising, I doubt that even proponents are particularly surprised. They aren't interested in abstinence, really, they're interested in making sure "bad girls" get punished for having sex by being subject to the appropriate consequences. So it actually works as designed.


-Atrios

link

 

[interwaff]

This is a hot subject. Let's pretend they're all exactly eighteen, okay? Let's deal with the redheads first, because they're the wildest. What kind of acts are we talking about? Be as graphic as you like within the forum rules.

 

[NewtonTrino]

Yup, it's about morality not results for these religious nutjobs.

 

[Dunstan]

It also "works" by helping create a new generation of fundies.

 

[shadron]

Useful followups:

How many class themselves as religious now? In 5 years, in 20?

Which religions? Same as parents, different from parents?

How many support abstinence? How many support active birth control methods? Now, and 5, and 20 years?

 

[Toke]

Useful followups:
How many class themselves as religious now? In 5 years, in 20?
Which religions? Same as parents, different from parents?
How many support abstinence? How many support active birth control methods? Now, and 5, and 20 years?

It is probably more about morals than breeding like catholics.

Without contraception it becomes obvius who is a BAD girl and gets her just punishment for not obeying god´s law.
I assume this is the silver ring and daddy dating crowd.

 

[Dunstan]

Useful followups:

How many class themselves as religious now? In 5 years, in 20?

Which religions? Same as parents, different from parents?

How many support abstinence? How many support active birth control methods? Now, and 5, and 20 years?

There's some more interesting tidbits in another article about the same study

The study also found that, five years after taking a virginity pledge, more than 80 percent of pledgers denied ever making such a promise. "This high rate of disaffiliation may imply that nearly all virginity pledgers view pledges as nonbinding," Rosenbaum said.

 

[WildCat]

I hate to get all skeptical on you guys here, but I have seen no evidence at all in the article in the OP that the teenagers who took the "virgin until marriage" pledge did so as part of an abstinence-only sex education curriculum. In fact, it makes no mention at all of what the school-sponsored sex education of those students was, if any.

So while you can say that "virgin until marriage" pledges don't work it is a leap to apply the results to abstinence-only sex education.

 

[tyr_13]

But not a large leap.

 

[WildCat]

But not a large leap.

It actually is, as it's quite possible that none of the teenagers in the study had abstinence-only sex education.

If you're going to the effects of abstinence-only sex education on subsequent sexual practices, wouldn't it make more sense to study the teenagers who actually had abstinence-only sex education in school?

 

[AngelicAtheist333]

Kinda off/on topic...

Is it true that the wall thingy back there on a girl grows back after seven years? I have no formal sex education. So please excuse my blunt question.

 

[WildCat]

Kinda off/on topic...

Is it true that the wall thingy back there on a girl grows back after seven years? I have no formal sex education. So please excuse my blunt question.

No, the little man in the boat won't allow that.

 

[AngelicAtheist333]

What? X_X

 

[WildCat]

What? X_X

Yes, he's wearing a hood.

Forum rules prevent me from explaining further.

 

[MontagK505]

No, the little man in the boat won't allow that.

Are you sure it's a MAN in the boat? The version I heard it was a girl in the boat.

G

 

[WildCat]

Are you sure it's a MAN in the boat? The version I heard it was a girl in the boat.

G

<facepalm>

 

[shecky]

Just coincidence, Bristol Palin's youngin' was born today.

 

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

It also "works" by helping create a new generation of fundies.

I highly doubt that's what anyone wants and promoters of abstinence education most of all.

While they, of course, want Christians to reproduce, it's only within marriage that they want it. They look down on teenage pregnancies very much and on children born out of wedlock to adults just as much.

I think theyd have the same contempt for a church-goer having sex outside of wedlock as a secular teenager, so it is not about creating more generations of anything.