8-Point Definition of Abstinence-Only Education As Defined By

Section 510(b) of Title V of the Social Security Act, P.L. 104-193

For the purposes of this section, the term "abstinence education" means an educational or motivational program which:

  1. has as its exclusive purpose teaching the social, psychological, and health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity;
  2. teaches abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage is the expected standard for all school-age children;
  3. teaches that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems; [1]
  4. teaches that a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the expected standard of sexual activity; [2]
  5. teaches that sexual activity outside the context of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical side effects; [3]
  6. teaches that bearing children out-of-wedlock is likely to have harmful consequences for the child, the child's parents, and society;
  7. teaches young people how to reject sexual advances and how alcohol and drug use increase vulnerability to sexual advances, and
  8. teaches the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before engaging in sexual activity. [4]

 

1. This is about as useful as pointing out that not driving is the only certain way to avoid a motor vehicle accident. Since sexuality is empirically an important part of the human experience and most teenagers are sexually active prior to graduation from high school, advocating abstinence as the only way to avoid STD's and pregnancy is irresponsible and flies in the face of human experience.
  1. Clearly this is the view of a particular religious culture, that of Mediterranean monotheism, and is not universally believed. Even among societies that advocate this ideal, it does not describe the reality of the behavior of the majority of Christians or Jews. Furthermore, there is nothing biologically protective about marriage and there is no way to guarantee mutual monogamy. Where does a man who has sex with a prostitute, contracts HIV, then transmits it to his unsuspecting wife fit into this ideal? The woman may have sincerely believed that her partner was faithful, she was legally married, but she was infected nevertheless.
  2. I would love to see the data on this, particularly since 90% of the population has premarital sex. Why are the vast majority not suffering from psychiatric disorders? As a psychiatrist, I know that the biggest sexual contributors to psychiatrist morbidity are sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse, neither of which is a function of marital status.
  3. Although it is hard to argue that one must be mature enough to give informed consent to sexual behavior, the idea of "self-sufficiency" seems to argue against