Teaching Abstinence in schools is ineffective in reducing teen pregnancy rates

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Teaching Abstinence in schools is ineffective in reducing teen pregnancy rates

Thesis Statement

Teaching Abstinence in schools is ineffective in reducing teen pregnancy rates.

When compared to other industrialized countries, the United States has the highest rates for teen pregnancy. For example, teenage pregnancy rates in the U.S. are two times higher than those reported in Wales, England, and Canada, and nearly nine times higher than rates reported in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Japan(Lee Simone 36). Although teenage pregnancy and birth rates have declined in recent years, early sexual intercourse among adolescents remains a national concern. According to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS) for the year 2001, 46% of students surveyed in schools reported having engaged in sexual intercourse. These percentages exceed Healthy People 2010 responsible sexual health objectives for the Nation, which are "to reduce the proportion of adolescents who have engaged in sexual intercourse to no more than 15% by age 15 and no more than 40% by age 17" (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, p. 7).

The difference in teen pregnancy rates among the U.S. and other industrialized countries is not attributed to the timing of sexual initiation and levels of sexual activity but primarily on the pragmatic philosophical approaches that non-Western developed countries have employed to address teen pregnancy (Gandy 25)

Annually, over one million young women between the ages of 15 and 19 become pregnant. Before the age of 20, approximately 40% of all women will become pregnant. These rates translate to approximately 500,000 teenagers, who give birth each year; many of whom are not equipped with the emotional and economic resources required to care for a child (Coocoran, Bultman, pp. 551). Further, the AGI (2002) reports that a disproportionate number of teens who give birth are living at or near the poverty level.

There are a variety of potential medical, educational, and social consequences related to teenage pregnancy. According to Campos (2002), "Many youth do not fully understand the risks associated with sexual relationships, as many of them maintain an unrealistic perception of their vulnerability". Not only are teens profoundly affected by becoming pregnant or causing a pregnancy, but their offspring and society in general bears the consequences of their actions (Kantor 18).

A vigorous debate as to which educational approaches to educating youth about sexual health and the potential consequences of sexual behavior would be most effective is ongoing in the United States, as well as worldwide. A substantial body of research has identified a number of characteristics of programs, which are effective in impacting teens' sexual understanding, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors, yet many questions still remain. A national survey found that a majority of adults and teens agree that schools should give teens a strong message that they should abstain from sex until they are at least out of high school, yet there is no consensus in our country as to whether programs that have a strong abstinence message are effective in delaying ...