Abstinence programs haven't influenced Texas teens, study finds

[rainbow4321]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D87UFHMO0.html



Abstinence-only programs like those promoted by the Bush administration don't seem to be working on teenagers in the president's home state, according to a state-sponsored study by Texas A&M University researchers.

The ongoing study, the first evaluation of the abstinence programs across the state, found that students in almost all high school grades were more sexually active after undergoing abstinence education

Among the findings in the Texas study: About 23 percent of the ninth-grade girls in the study already had sexual intercourse before they received any abstinence education, a figure below the national average.

After taking an abstinence course, the number among those same girls rose to 28 percent, a level closer to that of their peers across the state.

[Warpy]

1. Another study said that yes, those courses DID influence teens

but only to be more likely to have risky, unprotected sex and and up pregnant or worse, infected with incurable disease.

These idiotic programs serve no one except the soft, pink, sex phobic men who are writing them.

Folks, the price of trying to control your daughters' bodies is just too high for most of us.

And it doesn't work.

[Ezlivin]

2. Just say no to the "Just Say No" programs

You'd have to believe in Intelligent Design to think that just by saying something you can overcome a biological urge.

I imagine that many parents would be shocked to find their tender young daughter engaging in anal sex so that she can retain her "virginity".

[w4rma]

3. Repugs like to order people around and keep them uninformed about

why they want people to follow those orders. Abstinence-only "education" is just oppression. It's not informing folks to make the best decisions. Sex ed needs to *explain* everything not just sit a bunch of kids in a room and get them thinking about having sex and then telling them "don't have sex, don't ask questions".

[saltpoint]

4. Most teenagers' hormones are on a Just Say When --

-- schedule, not a Just Say No schedule.

Abstinence "works" better on paper than in the private thoughts of people past puberty.

Essentially I consider abstinence programs to be pleasure-hating programs, and you don't have to look too far to find fundamentalist nutcases pulling cords behind the curtains.

The Puritan streak and the prohibitive impulse in this country's history have resulted in political disaster (Prohibition = illegal booze running) and personal tragedy ) witch hunts and gay-bashing), to name just two examples.

---
edit: typo

[Toots]

5. Tell a teenager "just no" and see what happens

Teenagers want to know the truth about all subjects. They will never be satisfied with a "just no" answer. Just more evidence of the right wings total disconnect with reality.