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This Speakout has not been edited

By Joneen Krauth-Mackenzie RN, BSN WAIT Training Executive Director, Denver

Abstinence until when and for what purpose? Why would an organization that promotes and trains abstinence education be awarded millions of dollars for a Healthy Marriage Initiative grant as well as an abstinence grant? What does abstinence education have to do with healthy marriages anyway? Don’t we want our young people to be sexually experienced so that they have sown their wild oats and are now ready to settle down?

Strengthening families by strengthening marriages is part of what we do. We also: Teach skills to young people to become prepared for the commitment and fidelity a healthy marriage requires. (The majority of those who are on public assistance are single parent households) Teach relationship and conflict resolution skills (The number one cause of divorce is the inability to work through conflict) Teach our young boys and men to honor their future families and learn what it takes to be a good dad.(The overwhelming majority of those in prison are without dads) Teen pregnancy is an issue, but so is out of wedlock pregnancy. Additionally, issues regarding poverty, obesity, drug and alcohol abuse, dating and domestic violence and extreme debt are problematic as well as sexually transmitted diseases but also victimization, depression, loneliness, isolation and despair. Condoms and contraceptives cannot address many of these issues, but healthy relationships, personal power, self regulation, strength of character, inclusive leadership, increased self efficacy as well as skills on how to reach out and connect in a healthy way, will.

Abstinence education is saying yes to hopes and dreams as well as meaningful, committed and satisfying lives. I am perplexed as to why so many professionals in the public health field seek only to change consequences and not change behavior in regard to this issue. Most public health strategies are predicated on behavior change and take time to create a social norm; (i.e. smoking or the wearing of seat belts). Why is there such a negative perception about abstinence when everyone (including the condom folks) says they are teaching it? We provide information not demonstrations in a mixed gender classroom. If that were done at work, it would be considered sexual harassment.

Sexually active youth do need one on one counseling on how to use condoms and contraceptives consistently and correctly every single time, but they also need caring and gentle guidance to empower them to return to abstinence should they desire to do so.

We have a Medical Cessation Intervention Program and are training medical and health professionals all over the country.

Abstinence in preparation for marriage so we can:

1. impart reasons, skills and support to teens to someday have a healthy marriage and have safe and stable families

2. allow our well trained instructors the opportunity to talk about the compelling research about the value of a healthy marriage to the quality of life

3. impart the optimal health message

4. teach developmentally to the teenage brain. The concept of marriage is a concrete message that the concrete brain of a teen can understand (when one used abstract terms to wait until one is “ready", “mature", “responsible", “in love", “self sufficient", even “committed long term monogamous relationship” it is confusing and up for interpretation of the listener).

5. share the relatively new research about what makes relationships work and fail which many did not have when we married years ago.

6. impart to teens that (by research) happily married people are having the best, most and most satisfying sex

7. help young people who are (rightfully) cynical about marriage value this social and stabilizing institution.

Does all this talk about marriage hurt our gay and lesbian friends? I think not. They are fighting to get married! Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth also need the relationship skills we teach. Abstinence programs are inclusive and desire to reach the heart of every teen no matter what their sexual orientation.

READER COMMENTS

Mary, I would appreciate very much seeing a link or reference for your information regarding your points 1,2 and 3 correlated with "the most open sex education." What is "open" vs., I suppose, "closed" sex education?

Regarding your other comments, it has been a few years since I worked with adolescents, but I don't recall any that didn't know where babies come from by age 13. I am open to persuasion, but I doubt that our teen pregnancy and STD rates stem from not knowing that sex can cause pregnancy, or STDs. I suspect they are far more closely related to the sexualization of American entertainement and society. But, like I said, give me a reference, I'll be interested in having a look at it.

Whether the religious right likes it or not, the countries which have the most open sex education programs also have:
1) the lowest teen pregnancy rates
2) the lowest abortion rates &
3) the highest age of first time sexual encounters for young people.

Meanwhile, in this country, we have teens who don't understand that it only takes 1 sexual experience to make a baby or to contract an STD. You don't suppose full disclosure of the consequences can make a difference do you? It's easy to point out to kids that abstinence is 100% effective, easily reversible and has only one known side-effect ; unfortunately not all wait for marriage, and the consequences - ranging from teen parenthood to being infected with HIV shouldn't be the consequences of that decision.

The difference in the two stories is really not significant. Here's the summary: "Condoms are better than nothing if you are going to fool around. They don't always work, and it's dumb to count on them if condom failure might cause a serious problem. If you are going to fool around, sooner or later you're going to be worried, and maybe in trouble, and the only really safe answer is to wait."
See, nobody is going to be relieved if their teenage daughter gets pregnant or gets a STD because the condom broke instead of because they didn't use one.

Mike,

WAIT says one thing, the CDC says another.

Who you gonna believe?

Remarkable. This program tells people who, legally are still considered too young to make decisions about drinking and smoking for themselves, the truth about condoms not being a perfect solution to STD transmission, and you want to take issue because you have studies that say the SAME THING, except with somewhat different statistics that still point the same direction. What, you own sock in the Trojan company?

http://www.communityactionkit.org/reviews/WAIT.html

"For teachers, WAIT Training claims that there is “no clinical proof of effectiveness” for condoms in the prevention of any STD other than HIV.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that “:

Latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of transmission of gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and trichomoniasis.

Latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of genital herpes, syphilis, chancroid, and HPV only when the infected areas are covered or protected by the condom.

The use of latex condoms has been associated with a reduction in risk of HPV-associated diseases, such as cervical cancer.9

Despite these messages from the CDC, WAIT Training tells teachers that “[Students] need to know that, when used every time, condoms at best only provide a 50% reduction in the transmission rates of syphilis, gonorrhea and Chlamydia. They should be told that condoms do not appear to provide any protection from HPV, (which causes 99% of all cervical cancer).” (WAIT Training, p. 21) This information is incomplete and misleading. In fact, the latest research suggests that consistent use of condoms can greatly reduce HPV infection, the cause of genital warts and cervical cancer."

Imagine that, the Rocky published a Speakout that agrees with their conservative editorial agenda that is spreading lies. What are the odds?

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