Abstinence Now

The idea of abstinence-only education reminds me of the Simpsons episode where the Springfield cat-burglar leads the town on a false treasure hunt, using the diversion to escape prison. At the end of the episode, several characters have dug themselves into a hole looking for a buried treasure that's not there. Otto says, "how are we going to get out of here?" and Homer says "We'll dig our way out!"

Millions of dollars are thrown at abstinence-only education, and then it's proven, again and again and again, even when we already knew, that it doesn't work, and the response is to throw still more money into abstinence-only education.

"We'll dig our way out!"

Contraception and STI prevention are important things to learn, and I'll never understand the culture of people who deliberately misinform and ignore these issues. Abstinence-only education leads to teen pregnancy, and it leads to sexually transmitted infections. Supporting abstinence-only education means supporting unwanted pregnancies and STIs. How did that get to be so popular?

My parents didn't give me a lot of instruction in this area. Basically, they handed me a book and said, "RTFM." It's a good thing I was able to get everything I needed in school. Believe me, I was relieved, because having that conversation with my parents would have been mortifying.

I learned some important things. Sex can be a deadly weapon. I know because I've known people who died of AIDS. It can screw up your life. I've known people who dropped out of school, never to return because they got pregnant at 14. And I know why I've never had to deal with either of those, and it's because I know to get tested periodically. I know every kind of contraception and STI prevention method under the sun and I think I could proficiently use any one of them. I know that I should ask about a person's history, and I learned how to do it sensitively. But none of that knowledge has ever made any difference in when, where, how or why (although definitely 'with whom') to have sex.

I've never been a subscriber to the 'waiting' ideology (refer to The Onion article titled "Horribly Awkward First Sexual Encounter 'Worth The Wait' For Newlyweds"). Personally I think it blows the whole thing way out of proportion, and who needs that? But even those who think it is important can benefit from those tools. Why does the right-wing political climate support all kinds of weapons, except those that work?