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Abstinence & STD
Rates
Sex
In The News 2005
Teenagers
who are making the pledge to remain a virgin until they are married
are catching sexually transmitted diseases as often as those who
don't pledge abstinence. According to a study of the sex lives
of 12,000 teenagers, those who make a public pledge end up having
fewer sex partners and get married earlier.
STD rates
were also statistically similar for both groups of adolescents,
and in some situations were higher for those who pledged abstinence,
because virginity "pledgers" are less likely to use condoms. "It's
difficult to prepare for sex and say you're not going to have
sex," said Peter Bearman, chairman of Columbia University's sociology
department.
Data from
the study, presented at the National STD Prevention Conference,
had been taken from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent
Health.
The analysis
found that in communities where there is at least twenty percent
of adolescents who pledged to remain virgins, the STD rates for
everyone combined was 8.9 percent. Even critics of abstinence-only
education are seeing that the findings as evidence that adolescents
benefit from sex education.
Related
Articles
Do
Abstinence Only Programs Work?
Abstinence
Education- Why It Doesn't Work
Does
Sex On TV Increase Teens Sexual Activity?
Sex
Before Marriage- Is It Right Or Wrong?
Birth
Control Information
STD
Information
Chastity
Rings / Purity Rings
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