Abstinence pledges offer no protection, it seems

[Firefox]

Here.

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (AP) -- Teens who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are more likely to take chances with other kinds of sex that increase the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, a study of 12,000 adolescents suggests.

The report by Yale and Columbia University researchers could help explain their earlier findings that teens who pledged abstinence are just as likely to have STDs as their peers.

The latest study, published in the April issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that teens pledging virginity until marriage are more likely to have oral and anal sex than other teens who have not had intercourse. That behavior, however, "puts you at risk," said Hannah Brueckner, assistant professor of sociology at Yale and one of the study's authors.

Among virgins, boys who have pledged abstinence were four times more likely to have had anal sex than teens who have remained abstinent but not as part of a pledge, according to the study. Overall, pledgers were six times more likely to have oral sex.

The pledging group was also less likely to use condoms during their first sexual experience or get tested for STDs, the researchers found.

Data for the study was taken from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. An in-school questionnaire was given to a nationally representative sample of students in grades 7-12 and followed up with a series of in-home interviews roughly one, two, and six years later. It was funded in part by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Leslee Unruh, president of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, called the study "bogus," disputing that those involved had pledged true "abstinence."

"Kids who pledge abstinence are taught that any word that has 'sex' in it is considered a sexual activity," Unruh said. "Therefore oral sex is sex, and they are staying away."

Millions of teens have signed written pledges or verbally promised to abstain from sex, part of a church-led effort to discourage premarital sex and the spread of disease. President Bush has boosted funding for abstinence-only education in schools.

Critics say that education needs to be coupled with safe-sex education to be effective.

"If adolescents only had sex in monogamous, married relationships, by definition there would be no STDs," Brueckner said, echoing President Bush's remarks in last year's State of the Union address. "But the majority of adolescents don't live like that. They do have sex."

Last year, the same research team found that 88 percent of teens who pledge abstinence end up having sex before marriage, compared with 99 percent of teens who do not make a pledge.

No mention of percentages, but I'm interested in this bit of news. It seems like another nail in the abstinence-only coffin.

[jegs2]

Think part of this bit of news stems from the assumption that oral sex isn't really sex -- guess we can thank Presidnet Clinton for that...

[Rogue 9]

Very old news.

[Darth Wong]

Think part of this bit of news stems from the assumption that oral sex isn't really sex -- guess we can thank Presidnet Clinton for that...

Of course, because without President Clinton, no one in the world would have ever thought that

Is there some kind of right-wing phrasebook out there that you just quote from even though you know it's a lot of partisan bullshit? You're old enough to know that you're lying and that people have had these attitudes since long before Bill Clinton set foot in the oval office; why lie?

[SirNitram]

Think part of this bit of news stems from the assumption that oral sex isn't really sex -- guess we can thank Presidnet Clinton for that...

Wow, five years later, and the Right Wing Apologists still recite the mantras.

[Pick]

Old news, still curious.

And yet they keep preaching... ah, well.

[Elfdart]

The latest study, published in the April issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that teens pledging virginity until marriage are more likely to have oral and anal sex than other teens who have not had intercourse. That behavior, however, "puts you at risk," said Hannah Brueckner, assistant professor of sociology at Yale and one of the study's authors.

Where the fuck was this when I was in high school? Just the amount of crap I had to go through to buy alcohol for the girls with strict parents... These kids today have it easy!

[Firefox]

Was sex ed at your school abstinence-only?

[HemlockGrey]

Think part of this bit of news stems from the assumption that oral sex isn't really sex -- guess we can thank Presidnet Clinton for that...

Holy shit. It's like a parody of right-wing kneejerkers. Tell me, jegs, did Clinton blow up the USS Maine? Did he assassinate JFK? Was he responsible for the fall of the Roman Empire?

Among virgins, boys who have pledged abstinence were four times more likely to have had anal sex than teens who have remained abstinent but not as part of a pledge, according to the study

As the giver, or the reciever, I wonder?

"But the majority of adolescents don't live like that. They do have sex."

*wistful sigh*

[RedImperator]

Where's IP? This is one of his favorite subjects.

[Elfdart]

Was sex ed at your school abstinence-only?

What sex ed? Let me put it this way: Students in my high school were not allowed to wear shorts for fear of girls' knees inciting hard-ons. I kid you not. In Texas, where it's often 90 degrees and up from May to October. Our "human development" semester in 10th grade was cancelled for the entire school because when the teacher asked the class for the definition of circumcision, some jackass (no, it wasn't me) said "proof that Jews want everything 20% off". Some of the kids complained to their parents (not about the anti-Semitism, by the way) and the whole thing was cancelled.

Luckily, we were close to an AFB, so at least some of the girls weren't so stupid/ inhibited/ prudish, AND had strict parents ! From what I remember, the fundie girls tended to be the ones getting knocked up -and most of them were from very poor backgrounds and were the last people who needed to be bringing kids into the world at age 16. I guess they wanted to give birth in a barn like the virgin Mary.

[SirNitram]

Where's IP? This is one of his favorite subjects.

P'raps he's in practical research on the subject. Someone has to verify all this sex is happening, after all, and who better to investigate anal sex than an SDNetter?

[Justforfun000]

Quote:
Among virgins, boys who have pledged abstinence were four times more likely to have had anal sex than teens who have remained abstinent but not as part of a pledge, according to the study


As the giver, or the reciever, I wonder?

LOL!!!!

[Justforfun000]

The abstinence only pushers are never going to win. Sex is just far too powerful a drive. Lord, even for adults we do stupid things because of it. How can they expect all teenagers who are not only going through the HIGHEST degree of sexual desire, but are also the least experienced or tempered by wisdom to refrain completely?

Abstinence pushers are deliberately burying their head in the sand because they simply want to believe sex is only appropriate when done in a (straight) marriage, and even THEN for the major purpose of procreation.

Reality smack. People don't have sex for procreation as a rule. If you could possibly gather statistics on such a thing, I'd bet that far less then 1% of the time is sex done specifically to produce a child. Fuck, probably less than .001%. It's unrealistic, irresponsible, and extremely arrogant to keep shoving moralistic ideas like this down our youth's throats. Ultimately it will end up killing millions, and even at the least, infecting them with "mild" STD'S. Not to mention the loads of guilt that comes along with "breaking" the pledge. It's total fucking idiocy and it disgusts me to no end.

[Pint0 Xtreme]

You don't say!

[DPDarkPrimus]

Well, of course abstinence pledges don't prevent kids from having sex... a pledge only works if you stick by it!

[Justforfun000]

It's just so hard to believe that the United States government can force this crap through when all of the leading scientific organizations are so vehemently against it. Especially when they have hard data showing it's not workable. Playing with children's lives is something you would think is serious enough to warrant laws preventing this kind of ideological bullshit. Maybe THAT'S what they should be considering to add to their constitution instead of this victimless "no gay marriage" idiocy.

[Marksist]

It's just so hard to believe that the United States government can force this crap through when all of the leading scientific organizations are so vehemently against it.

Well science hasn't stopped the government from doing many things, I believe Bush was quoted as saying "The verdict is still out on how we were created." Or something to that effect regarding teaching of evolution.

[Plekhanov]

The latest study, published in the April issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that teens pledging virginity until marriage are more likely to have oral and anal sex than other teens who have not had intercourse.

Is it possible these kids took that technical virgin site at face value? It’s possible they clearly weren’t raised to have discerning minds.

Think part of this bit of news stems from the assumption that oral sex isn't really sex -- guess we can thank Presidnet Clinton for that...

Yes because these kids are brought up by their fundementalist Christian parents to idoslise Clinton and follow his thoughts on what is and isn’t sex. Thoughts which if course went completely unchallenged in the delusional fundamentalist “abstinence works” environment these unfortunate kids are subjected to

It's just so hard to believe that the United States government can force this crap through when all of the leading scientific organizations are so vehemently against it.

Well science hasn't stopped the government from doing many things, I believe Bush was quoted as saying "The verdict is still out on how we were created." Or something to that effect regarding teaching of evolution.

I think it was something along the lines of “the jury is still out on exactly how god created the world”

[Firefox]

It's also more proof of the failure to include contraception in the curriculum. If they'd teach these kids that condoms are useful for protection not only during intercourse, they might be inclined to use them for other sexual acts.

Ahah, I just remembered. That would be encouraging the damned behavior to begin with!

[Illuminatus Primus]

Think part of this bit of news stems from the assumption that oral sex isn't really sex -- guess we can thank Presidnet Clinton for that...

Why don't you fuck off, you stupid little fundie ideologue? As a High School student, I resent this laughable charicature divorced from reality that hard rightists have that somehow girls and guys thought they'd found some cheat around virginity only after Clinton's escapades. I can assure you that the Lewinsky issue had precisely no effect on it, and no one thinks about it. I'm sure that supplanting oral sex for vaginal intercourse predated the incident as well.

[Wicked Pilot]

My favorite part of the article:

Leslee Unruh, president of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, called the study "bogus," disputing that those involved had pledged true "abstinence."

They must not have been true Christians either.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Oh, and to respond to some various posters, yeah, this really happens in High School. I know a girl well who got fucked in the ass in lieu of vaginal intercourse so she'd "still be a virgin."

[Stormbringer]

Oh, and to respond to some various posters, yeah, this really happens in High School. I know a girl well who got fucked in the ass in lieu of vaginal intercourse so she'd "still be a virgin."

I know one girl that wouldn't have sex, but she'd blow guys no problem. And of course still considered herself a virgin.

And Jegs, that was before Clinton.

[jegs2]

Of course, because without President Clinton, no one in the world would have ever thought that

No. Shitheads are still shitheads and make up their own mind on how to define things (such as the definition of sex), but Clinton's now infamous defining of the word "is," helped to popularize the assumption that oral sex isn't really sex, especially in younger generations.