Researchers Discover Abstinence

Ahem.

Ladies and Gentlemen, stop the presses! According to the Washington Post, researchers claim to have discovered the cure for STD’s and teenage pregnancy. Drum roll please…and the answer is “Abstinence.” Ta-da!

Yes, it seems that a recent study conducted by  Pennsylvania University and published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found that encouraging elementary students to not “do it” actually works. Mind-blowing, huh?

News of this scientific miracle quickly seduced every media headline, slapping liberal principle in the face and provoking conservative “I told you so’s” everywhere. But this lover’s spat is nothing new. Progressive opinion divorced abstinence years ago, and very few studies find in favor of abstinence-only programs – note the Washington Times, Reuters, Associated Press, MSNBC, Pediatrics, FOX, CNN, and Times. So, what is so special about this study?

The Study that’s Turning Heads

Well, the experiment took over 3 years (2001-2004). The problem: find a winning solution to sex education in public schools. The participants: 662 African American 6^th and 7^th graders selected from 4 public schools within an unknown city in the Northeastern U.S.

The study conducted 4 different programs:

• An 8-hour course promoting students to postpone sex.
• An 8-hour curriculum instructing students about safe sex.
• An 8-12 hour study teaching students both (abstaining and safe sex).
• An 8-hour lesson educating students on all-around healthy living (eating and exercise).

Two years after the program, the results showed that:

• 33 percent of students taught in the abstinence-only course had sex.
• 52 percent of students taught in the safe sex course had sex.
• 42 percent of students taught in the combined course had sex.
• 47 percent of students taught in the healthy living course had sex.

Basically, the abstinence-only program encouraged 67 percent of the students to stay abstinent. Even the comprehensive curriculum convinced 58 percent to hold-off on sex. Both programs did better (19 percent and 10 percent) than the safe sex lecture, which influenced 48 percent to wait. Translation – abstinence does work. Go figure.

Sure, it Looks Good, But Will it Last?

John B. Jemmot III, Pennsylvania University professor and monetary backer for the study, believes that the findings justify abstinence.

“I think we’ve written off abstinence-only education without looking closely at the nature of the evidence. Our study shows this could be one approach that could be used,” Jemmot said.

The CEO of National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, Sarah Brown, also sees promise in abstinence programs.

“This new study is game-changing. For the first time, there is strong evidence that an abstinence-only intervention can help very young teens delay sex,” Brown said.

Why, even the President of Advocates for Youth, James Wagoner, who incidentally referred to abstinence as “bad ethics” in 2007, opened his mind. Of course, he attributed the study’s success to, well, a less restrictive abstinence program that did not endorse “waiting for marriage.” But, that is a whole other matter.

What’s Next?

For now, it seems that old-school common sense and good-old self-control might actually work. But rest assure, there will another study bent on refuting Pennsylvania University’s findings and proving that not all of us can go Jo-Bro.

So, until then, congrats to research for willingly stumbling upon an already given, albeit unpopular, conclusion.