A survey of mainstream media would lead you to believe that
abstinence education is a useless construct of the Right.
The Truth, should it ever get out, is shocking. There is
overwhelming evidence that shows abstinence education
decreases teen pregnancy and teen sexual activity. Just
because the main stream media does not cover this favorable
evidence does not mean it is not our there. Examining the
evidence is critically important now that the
Democratically controlled congress has cut funding for
abstinence education.
In Georgia, since adopting abstinence education the teen
pregnancy rate has dropped 46 percent. The sharpest
declines occurred when abstinence was at its highest
funding percentage. This pregnancy decline started in 1995
when the state of Georgia made abstinence its statewide
policy. Consider, a 46 percent decline in teen pregnancy
as a result of a statewide abstinence program. Shouldn't
that have received at least a footnote in the anti
abstinence campaign the mainstream media has been waging?
A randomized controlled trial conducted by jimmott it al.
found that abstinence-only intervention significantly
reduced sexual initiation among young African American
adolescents after a 24-month follow-up period, and did not
reduce condom use for those virgins who did become sexually
active (p<.05).
An evaluation of "Reasons of the Heart" abstinence
curriculum found that adolescent program participants were
approximately one half as likely as the matched comparison
group to initiate sexual activity after one year (p<.05)
The program effect was as strong for the African American
subgroup in the sample as it was overall(p<.05)
The "Sex Respect" and "Teen Aid" abstinence-only programs
reduced the rate of initiation of sex by more than one
third (p<.01) for the high-risk students in a Caucasian
high school sample after 12 months.
These are just a few of the many peer reviewed studies out
there that show abstinence education get positive
measurable results. Have your heard of any of them? Why
did the media ignore peer reviewed studies that showed
abstinence education works? And, if the evidence that
abstinence education works is so prevalent, why has funding
for Title V been discontinued?
There is one study however, that enjoyed wide exposure and
acceptance. It was quoted and covered by all the major
news outlets. Can a study become a media darling? The
Mathmatica Study did. The Mathmatica study showed
conclusively that abstinence education doesn't
work...right? If you read the headlines that is what you
would have come away with. Headline after headline:
"Abstinence Education Proven Ineffective". The Mathmatica
study was championed by all the mainstream media and quoted
by politicians that wanted to do away with abstinence
programming. So, let's take a look at Mathmatica
The Mathmatica studey examined four abstinence programs,
that's right, four. Those four programs showed no positive
outcomes for teen sexual behavior (of this there is no
debate, the four programs were not effective in reducing
teen sexual activity). take a close look at the number of
program Mathmatica examined: four. That's it. Now the
headlines and articles never mentioned that only four
programs were looked at. Why? The headlines and articles
that ran in the national newspapers and were story leads on
ABC, CNN, NBC, and CBS were clear: "Abstinence Education
Ineffective". Wouldn't a much more honest and accurate
headline have been, "Mathmatica Study shows four abstinence
education programs ineffective"? Why did the mainstream
media withhold the information that Mathmatica only looked
at four programs? Can you honestly evaluate a national
movement with thousands of programs by looking at four of
them?
All four of the programs Mathmatica evaluated used a
non-representative study sample. The four programs served
African American youth from poor single-parent households.
Why didn't the mainstream media cover this?
The programs themselves were flawed. I know that's an
extreme judgment, but these program had no chance of
changing teen sexual behavior, mainly because none of them
intervened with student when they were...teens. The very
structure of the programs guaranteed they would not be
successful. The four programs that Mathmatica looked at
had intervention ages that were young. Some students were
involved with the program as young as 4th and 5th grade.
And then never again. That's right, none of the programs
had any contact with the students during the 9th, 10th, or
11th grade when transition to sexual activity typically
occurs. Of course the programs failed. How could they
succeed? How can you expect to impact sexual behavior if
you don't intervene during the years that sexual behavior
starts? They were failed programs to begin with.
Why did Mathmatica pick such poorly structured programs to
look at in the first place? Or perhaps more importantly,
why didn't Mathmatica study vibrant ongoing abstinence
programs that had contact with students throughout the teen
years...could it be because those programs were successful
in reducing teen pregnancy rates? Yet congress cut
abstinence funding based largely on the Mathmatica study.
This would be like judging the American Auto industry after
test driving four Ford Pintos.
Why cut a program (title V) that has been proven to work?
Because of one flawed study? Because the "Abstinence" word
is not popular with certain groups? Think about it. Teen
pregnancy rates went through the roof during the 70s and
80s when comprehensive sex ed (condoms) reigned supreme.
They only started to decline in the mid nineties after
abstinence education came on the scene. And congress wants
to stop that...why?
The health of the nation's teens is more important than
party affiliation. Abstinence education programs have been
proven to reduce teen pregnancy rates and sexual activity
rates. The overall decline of pregnancy rates since the mid
90s (the start of the modern abstinence movement and the
beginning of Title V funding) should be enough to guarantee
Title V funding. Yet congress killed Title V. Why?
----------------------------------------------------
Keith Deltano is an award winning educator that uses clean
comedy to deliver his message. Go to =>
http://www.VirginityRocks.com
for direct links to the studies listed in the article or to
bring him in for a tour/presentation in your community.
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