When Are We Going to Accept That Abstinence Only Edu. Doesn't Work?

Question

Heres a Couple of fun facts:

• NCHS Releases Preliminary Birth Data for 2006
December 5, 2007, the National Center for Health Statistics released preliminary 2006 birth data, and highlighted the fact that FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 15 YEARS, the teen birth rate has increased. The rate rose from 40.5 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19 in 2005 to 41.9 births per 1,000 in 2006--a 3 percent increase.

• The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the western world, despite the fact that our teens are not more sexually active than Swedish teens, or Canadian teens, or British teens.

• Educating teenagers about contraception makes them more likely to use contraception when they begin having sex, but it doesn't lower the age at first intercourse.

• One million teens in the USA will become pregnant over the next twelve months. Ninety-five percent of those pregnancies are unintended.

Will common sense ever prevail?

Answer 1

I agree. Teenagers will have sex and the more forbidden it is, the more appealing it is. I know it was that way for me and that was a while back. But some people think that learning about contraception is condoning sex, maybe someday they will figure out that it is just facing reality.

Answer 2

I think the real problems lies in adults' attitudes about sex, which needs to change.

Parents should encourage their kids to openly communicate with them about their questions and concerns. Sex shouldn't be something we're embarrassed and ashamed of.

Answer 3

probably not, i've seen no evidence of it yet in this country