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“Just Say No”
Why Is Abstinence Different?...
[Carol Platt Liebau] 1/30/06

A recent Harris poll on sex education programs yielded some provocative news: A majority of young people support abstinence programs. According to the poll, 56% of young people between ages 18 and 24 – and 60% of those 25 to 29 – believe that abstinence programs effectively reduce or prevent the occurrence of HIV/AIDS. Almost half – 49% -- think the programs reduce or prevent unwanted pregnancies, along with 52% of those in the 25-29 age group.

The poll results contradict a cherished belief on the left: That abstinence education is ineffective, little more than a hobbyhorse of the religious right, with minimal impact on those it’s supposed to be reaching; namely, the young. But underlying that conviction is a series of assumptions that, frankly, don’t make any sense.

When it comes to drug and alcohol use, we tell young people: Just say no. It’s inevitable that some will choose to drink or do drugs nonetheless, but that knowledge doesn’t prompt equivocation – messages like “Don’t drink, but if you drink, don’t drive” or “Don’t do drugs, but if you do, use a clean needle” aren’t part of the curriculum.

Why is abstinence different, especially for teenagers, given the potential for long-term physical, emotional and psychological damage resulting from giving too much, too soon? Perhaps the distinction springs from the assumption that young people simply can’t control their urges – that teenage sex is “doing what comes naturally” and appeals to higher principles therefore are generally doomed. That view is, of course, deeply demeaning to young people – but what’s more, it’s at odds with the facts.

Before the “sexual revolution,” the rate of premarital sex was significantly lower: According to a study conducted by the University of Nevada/Las Vegas, the rate of first births to teen mothers conceived out of wedlock was less than 33%. By the 1980’s, almost 66% of all Caucasian babies were conceived out of wedlock; the number climbed to 97% among African Americans. And although the age of marriage was younger then, a much higher percentages of young people, obviously, were abstaining from premarital sex – suggesting, of course, that it can be done.

Judging from the results of the new Harris poll, many young people themselves seem to understand the importance of bright line standards when it comes to sex. If nothing else, they provide some of the social support for restrained behavior that used to be reflected in everything from the presence of house mothers at college to the conscious symbolism reflected in white wedding dresses.

In the end, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Harris poll was the fact that younger participants were the most strongly supportive of abstinence over safe-sex programs. It forces the question: If young people are trying to re-establish some sexual standards, isn’t it an adult’s duty – whatever his or her political stripe – to help them? -one-

Columnist Carol Platt Liebau is a political analyst, commentator and tOR / CRO editorial director based in San Marino, CA. Ms. Liebau also served as the first female managing editor of the Harvard Law Review. Her web log can be found at CarolLiebau.blogspot.com

copyright 2006 Carol Platt Liebau

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