If you have teenagers, or have been around teenagers, or if you have ever been a teenager, you know well this truth: sex is the massive elephant in the room that everyone loves to joke about, but no one ever wants to get serious about.
Today's teenagers know more about sex than the majority of adults. Coupled with the fact that we live in a sex-saturated world, and that most adult role model types (mainly parents) are embarrassed to discuss sex with their children, it comes as no surprise that children get the majority of their sexual education from the media, including television, movies, and the Internet.
In spite of the rise of comprehensive sex education, and that the United States gives away more free condoms to teenagers every year, the United States has one of the highest rates of infection of sexually transmitted diseases among the developed countries. According to the Center for Disease Control, approximately 19 million Americans have at least one STD. One in four teenage girls in the state of Florida are a part of that 19 million. (That means, parents, that if your son is in class with twelve gorgeous teenage girls, three of them most likely have at least one STD -- and yes, some of them are transmittable just from kissing.)
"Don't be a fool; wrap your tool."
"Don't be silly; wrap your willie."
"Wrap it up before you --" well, you get the picture.
If it's true that numbers don't lie, then it really doesn't matter how many cute rhymes we teach the children, or how many cola-flavored condom lollipops we give them (see picture above). The fact is that it's not working. But something else does. Please, sit down.
Abstinence-centered sex education works.
Multitudes of people turn green and start smashing things when they hear the "A"-word, and that's unfortunate. Many of the myths surrounding abstinence education, such as, "Never have sex ever," "You'll go to hell if you have sex," "Condoms and birth control are bad," are just that: myths. Abstinence-centered education, also called abstinence-plus education, is not about making teenagers feel guilty or ashamed of having sex. It's not about forbidding them to use contraception. It's about taking a holistic approach to addressing that elephant in the room, and openly and honestly discussing STDs, HIV/AIDS, risk of pregnancy, and the emotional, educational, and financial consequences of sexual activity too early in life. Additionally, it teaches children what a healthy relationship should look like: for example, respecting a boyfriend or girlfriend's choices in what he or she wants to do, physically and otherwise.
Let's revisit those numbers again*:
- Every Florida teen mother on welfare with two children costs taxpayers up to $56,000
- Every teen birth costs taxpayers $10,000
- Florida spends approximately $400 million to treat people with STDs
But....
- 47% of teens are sexually active.
- 15% of these sexually active teenagers will become abstinent after quality abstinence-centered education.
Based on the population of Hernando County alone, we can predict the following:
- 742 teenagers will become abstinent
- $582,386 savings in STD treatments
- $751,147 savings in pregnancy costs, including delivery, abortion, or miscarriage
- In 2000, the pregnancy rate among 15-19 year olds in Hernando County was 49.4 per 1,000. In 2008, the rate dropped to 39.9 per 1,000.
Numbers not good enough for you? Teenage girls at Challenger K-8 had the following to say after participating in abstinence-centered education:
- "I understand more about relationships now. I never really thought about it before."
- "I learned a lot about how to help my friends."
- "I feel comfortable expressing my feelings. There's no judgment."
It's true, folks. Abstinence-centered education works. Not only do we have solid data from the Center for Disease Control, Planned Parenthood, the Florida Department of Health and Human Services, and other reliable sources, but we have it straight from the kids themselves.
The author would like to recommend a new rhyme to teach today's teens: "Keep your Schwartz inside your shorts."
*By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing, November 2006, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
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