In Hispanic culture, when we turn 15, we have a big party, the Quinceañera. I’m in a group called the Pueblo Youth Project, where I take a class for teenage girls 13-18 on healthy relationships and abstinence. And for each girl’s Quinceañera there’s a big ceremony with your family. We go up and make a vow to stay abstinent, we sign a pledge. We go to the classes with our moms, and they read letters to us at the ceremony, too.

Even though Pueblo has an office in my school, it’s still only about half of the students that remain abstinent. They only teach in a few classes, they can’t reach everybody, and not everyone’s going to respond to this message. They teach abstinence rather than safe sex. They do demonstrations, for STDs and pregnancy. They once did one about having sex before you’re married, explaining that you take all of your partners and your husband’s partners into your marriage bed. That really stuck with me, because I think sex is such a special thing. It’s a special gift that you want to keep for when you’re married.

I find it kind of hard to tell people to follow my example. Everyone at the Pueblo Youth Project is really passionate, they really get the message across in a way that students want to remain abstinent. I don’t want people to feel that I’m judging them. But my friends know what I believe, and I wear a purity ring, which a lot of people respect. It’s a different way of life, a way to be independent rather than giving in to peer pressure.

It helps me to keep my focus, and also keeps me away from other pressures like drugs and alcohol. Those kinds of activities can lead to losing your virginity, and abstinence helps me focus more on having fun and doing well in school. One of my best friends just had a baby, and I’ve seen how quickly you can go from being a teenager to an adult.

I’m working really hard to be my class valedictorian. I want to go to college, major in math education, and become a high school math teacher. By staying abstinent, I can devote all my energy toward fulfilling those goals.

According to CDC estimates, at the end of 2006 over 20% of the 1.1 million HIV-infected individuals were unaware that they were infected. And even though people aged 13-24 years accounted for only about 4% of the total HIV cases, they accounted for approximately 10% of the undiagnosed cases. Because so many of the undiagnosed infections were in teens and young adults, CDC researchers investigated HIV testing among high school students.2

Analyzing data from the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey,3 CDC researchers reported that only about 13% of all high school students had ever been tested for HIV. Of the sexually active teens, about 22% had ever been tested for HIV. These testing rates are low since nearly 65% of students have had sex by the time they graduate from high school3 and are at risk for many sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV. HIV testing rates were better in some groups — with higher rates in African American students, those who began sexual activity at a younger age, and those who had learned about HIV/AIDS in school.

This CDC recommendation is another reminder that sexual activity can have serious consequences, especially in young people. After all, the younger an adolescent is when they start having sex, the higher their risk of an infection.4 And early detection of STIs, including HIV, is key to early treatment and management to avoid complications. Therefore, all sexually experienced adolescents and young adults should be checked by a health care provider for STIs, including HIV. One anonymous way for anyone to assess their risk for STIs is through our free tool at www.STDwizard.org, which is based on the latest CDC STD guidelines. Users can also print the final recommendations to take with them to a health care provider.

Understanding the need for STI and HIV screening in youth serves to highlight our message of risk avoidance. Refraining from all sexual activity until entering a life long, faithful relationship with an uninfected person is the only way to eliminate the sexual transmission of HIV and other STIs.

References:
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National HIV testing day — June 27, 2009. MMWR 2009;58:661. Available at: http://cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5824.pdf. Accessed 2009 June 26.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV testing among high school students — United States, 2007. MMWR 2009;58:665-8. Available at: http://cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5824.pdf. Accessed 2009 June 26.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth risk behavior surveillance — United States, 2007. Surveillance Summaries, June 6, 2008. MMWR 2008;57(No.SS-4). Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/pdf/yrbss07_mmwr.pdf. Accessed 2009 June 26.
4. Pergamit MR, Huang L, Lane J. The Long Term Impact of Adolescent Risky Behaviors and Family Environment. Chicago, IL: National Opinion Research Center (NORC), University of Chicago; August 2001. Available at: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/riskybehav01. Accessed 2009 June 25.

ANALYSIS/OPINION

Years ago, I talked with an abstinence educator named Molly Kelly. She made an unforgettable observation. "Nobody makes any money on abstinence."

In the ensuing sex-education debate, I have often heard ideological arguments. One side sees its opponents as radical, Kinsey-based, sexual libertines. The other side sees an army of religious zealots trying to force their sexual prudery on everyone. Besides ideology, there has also been a ferocious fight over money.

Frankly, this has puzzled me.

For starters, abstinence education represents "choice" - a sacred concept in Washington - in sex education, so it’s odd to hear it bashed.

Second, abstinence funding has always been chump change by Washington standards. In fact, it’s chump change compared with what Congress spends on its other reproductive health services to teens.

In 2008 alone, the Health and Human Services Department spent $785.8 million to prevent unwanted pregnancies and disease among teens, then-HHS Secretary Michael O. Levitt wrote in December to Rep. Mark Souder, Indiana Republican.

This included $309.1 million for teen family-planning services and $300.2 million for teen-pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease (STD) and HIV/AIDS prevention. The remaining $176.5 million went for abstinence education.

Thus, less than 23 cents out of every dollar spent on teen sexual health went for abstinence education, Mr. Leavitt wrote.

So why the caterwauling over pocket change for abstinence?

The usual answers I get from abstinence opponents are that it doesn’t work, it leaves kids ignorant about how to use birth control, it doesn’t serve gay kids, and (off the record) it’s just a return to the bad old days when unenlightened, sex-hating harpies ran sex education.

What’s never mentioned, though, is how sexually active youth are part of the market for certain commercial sex- and disease-related products, and abstinent behavior reduces that market share.

Even writing that sounds crass. Personally, I support family planning and condoms.

But let me repeat a comment that Pam Mullarkey, founder of Project SOS in Jacksonville, Fla., made recently on an abstinence e-list. She was furious that the Obama administration’s 2010 budget defunds abstinence education and throws the money to other kinds of teen-pregnancy prevention programs.

"Giving them money is definitely a conflict of interest since they make money when teens have sex," Mrs. Mullarkey wrote. "I would love to see a breakdown of the profits they make for the following: Birth control monthly charge, approx. $30 per girl. STD Testing. STD medication for each of the STDs they contract. Abortion for when the forget their birth control or they don’t work.

"No wonder they have spent so much money trying to destroy abstinence education - it directly costs them big bucks," she told me in a phone interview.

By defunding abstinence, the Obama administration has reignited America’s sex-education debate. With the stakes so high, I expect advocates on both sides to take off the gloves.

I’ve already expressed dim hopes for the survival of abstinence education as we’ve known it. But should Congress decide to "follow the money," as Mrs. Mullarkey suggests, who knows what might turn up.

• Cheryl Wetzstein can be reached at cwetzstein@washington times.com

There is much public concern, and rightly so, with the high rates of nonmarital pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. But how should those problems be addressed? In prominent reports, news media, and elsewhere, it is being asserted as “well known fact” that abstinence education doesn’t work, that comprehensive sex education does, and spending any government funds on abstinence education is a waste of taxpayer’s money. But is that a true picture?

At the Medical Institute, we believe in looking solely to accurate facts and data, thereby determine what is the truth, and then applying this truth to maximize health and happiness of as many people as possible. What results are obtained when we apply this test to the issue at hand? In a thorough and well documented analysis of the existing evidence, The Institute for Research & Evaluation has concluded that the highly publicized, popular perceptions concerning this issue are greatly in error. The study, entitled Another Look at the Evidence: Abstinence and Comprehensive Sex Education in Our Schools, evaluated the summary reached in a study known as Emerging Answers 2007 and the 115 evaluation studies which formed the basis of that study. Another Look, which can be obtained in its entirety at http://instituteresearch.com/docs/Another_Look_at_the_Evidence_

(IRE,_05-13-09).pdf concludes, in part:

“The common perception about the effectiveness of these two prevention strategies is not accurate. …there is little evidence that school-based comprehensive sex education strategies are effective. …There is evidence that school-based abstinence education can be an effective prevention strategy.”

So what’s the truth here? Before funding for abstinence education is scrapped, as threatened, we urge that every effort be made to ascertain what is the true picture, and that everyone who is in a position to determine the outcome of the issue be informed of that truth. The determination of this important issue must be based on that truth, a proposition upon which all persons of good intention, regardless of present viewpoint, should be able to agree.

Arthur H. Coleman
President/CEO

The survey reported that one in five teens and one in three young adults have sent or posted semi-nude or nude images of themselves in cyberspace. Half of the teens and young adults have sent or posted sexually suggestive messages. This trend is surprising since nearly 3/4 of teens and young adults acknowledged that sending such images and messages “can have serious negative consequences.” The most commonly listed negative consequences were regret (79%), potential embarrassment (73%), bad reputation (69%), and disappointing family (57%).

Although most survey participants agreed that sending sexual messages and images could have a negative social influence, could it also impact their behavior? A majority of teens and young adults thought that sexting would get attention from a guy/girl they liked. About 3/4 of such messages or pictures had been sent to a girlfriend or boyfriend; most recipients admitted they were “turned on” by such messages. About 40% of the respondents said that people who exchange sexual messages and images are more likely to date or hook up with each other in real life, and over a quarter of them said that dating or hooking up would be “expected” after sexting.

Sexting has already been associated with harassment, lawsuits, and at least one suicide.2 It may also increase the expectation of sexual activity.1 Considering the potential consequences of sexting and its prevalence amongst teens, parents should be prepared to talk to their kids about it. Parents should ask their kids if they or any of their friends engage in sexting and then use the discussion to communicate their expectations for cell phone and computer use. Parents should clearly communicate to their children that anything posted online is “out there” permanently. Parents should also monitor their children’s use of social networking sites, like MySpace or Facebook, by joining their child’s online network. By setting limits on the use of computers and cell phones and discussing the pitfalls of sexting, parents can help guide their children to safe and healthy decisions.

References:
1. National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Sex and tech: results from a survey of teens and young adults. Washington, D.C: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 2008. Available at: http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/sextech/PDF/SexTech_Summary.pdf. Accessed: 2009 May 26.
2. Hewitt B, Driscoll A. The dangers of ’sexting’. People March 30, 2009;71(12):111-2. Available at: http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20271181,00.html. Accessed: 2009 May 27.

I remember when I was younger, just a few years ago, I never really thought about how to avoid what I was trying to avoid. Now I know though, that there is a way to avoid certain things, and in order to do so you must have a plan to resist negative pressures.

Do you have a plan to resist negative pressures? Have you ever thought that this would be something that could help you? Well… If you don’t have one. Now is the perfect time to develope one for yourself. Think about how you would handle certain situations. Maybe you are trying to avoid drinking alcohol. So think of all the different things you could do to avoid being placed into a situation where you feel as if there is no other option than to drink.Or maybe you want to avoid having any sort of sexual expression until you get married. Think of all the situations you can avoid where there would be a high chance of being forced into a compromise.

I’m going to stop here and let you think about it. Tomorrow I will post the rest of Standing Strong…

Being a young guy I am in the midst of living with the decisions I made in high school. I wasn’t a very great student, not because a lack of intelligence, but because of a lack of motivation. I partied, and made some choices that I regret all the way to this day. I was so focused upon what I was doing right then and there that I didn’t take anytime to think about where I would be in the next five to ten years. If you want to take charge of your future the most important time to do this is between the ages of fifteen and twenty. This is where you will get your driver’s license, choose to graduate High School or not, and you will begin going to college, join the military, or attend a trade school. This time in your life is so important, and you possess all the potential to make it one of the most positively influential times in your life as well.

All you need to do is begin to set goals. Make it a goal to graduate, and not just a requirement. Decide what your standards are going to be when it comes to dating and having romantic relationships. Decide what kind of person you are going to be, and make it a goal to be that person everyday of your life.

Sometimes it isn’t as easy as it sounds though. There are many negative influences out there which make it seem like there are things so great that you would want to compromise your stance on certain issues. Mainly what I am talking about here is your choice to save any sort of sexual expression until marriage. This is a choice that many people make, but it is not so clearly shown by the media. At any moment in time you can turn on television stations like MTV or VH1 and find tons of references to sexuality. It is also possible to find sexual influences in the books we read, the music we listen to, the friends we surround ourselves with, along with many other ways. So it is important, if you choose to set the goal of saving any form of sexual expression until you get married, to make sure that you take a stance and remember that it is a goal, and the only way you can accomplish that goal is by staying strong and remembering all the other goals which you have set as well.

So I want to leave you with this affirmation which is provide by the workbook we are going through Aspire: I will live my life with a sense of purpose.

The topics we will be covering are:

1. Living Life on Purpose
2. Standing Strong
3. Thinking Ahead
4. Protecting Your Mind
5. The Power of Self-Control
6. Marriage Rocks
7. Making a Fresh Start
8. The Big Picture

I will be posting a small blog on each of these topics through the course of the next couple of weeks. I hope by doing this we can show you what we are all about.