Difference between revisions of "Abstinence"
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:..."the goal of Federal policy should be to emphasize abstinence as the only certain way to avoid both unintended pregnancies and STDs."<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/02/welfare-book-06.html WORKING TOWARD INDEPENDENCE] Encourage Abstinence and Prevent Teen Pregnancy, White House News and Policies, February 2002</ref> | :..."the goal of Federal policy should be to emphasize abstinence as the only certain way to avoid both unintended pregnancies and STDs."<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/02/welfare-book-06.html WORKING TOWARD INDEPENDENCE] Encourage Abstinence and Prevent Teen Pregnancy, White House News and Policies, February 2002</ref> | ||
| − | The new Democratic-controlled Congress wants to abolish abstinence-only [[sex education]] programs, arguing that fornication is the norm (i.e., inevitable). But a 2004 Heritage Foundation study found that virginity pledges significantly reduce premarital sex without putting backsliders at risk. [http://www.heritage.org/Research/Abstinence/cda04-07.cfm] | + | The new Democratic-controlled Congress wants to abolish abstinence-only [[sex education]] programs, arguing that fornication is the norm (i.e., inevitable). But a 2004 Heritage Foundation study found that virginity pledges significantly reduce premarital sex without putting backsliders at risk. <ref> Teens Who Make Virginity Pledges Have Substantially Improved Life Outcomes |
| + | by Robert E. Rector, Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D., and Jennifer A. Marshall | ||
| + | Center for Data Analysis Report #04-07 [http://www.heritage.org/Research/Abstinence/cda04-07.cfm] </ref> | ||
==Notes and references== | ==Notes and references== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
Revision as of 11:18, April 23, 2007
The word abstinence means refraining from indulging in an appetite.
In the 1800s and 1900s, the word "abstinence," used without other explanation, almost always meant abstinence from alcohol. The "abstinence movement," for example, led to the establishment of prohibition. Teetotaler mean someone who advocated "total abstinence," rather than just moderation.
Starting in about the 1990s, "abstinence" has been more commonly used in the context of abstinence from sexual intercourse, particularly in the United States in the context of sex education for adolescents. Thus, for example, we read in a 2002 White House policy statement:
- ..."the goal of Federal policy should be to emphasize abstinence as the only certain way to avoid both unintended pregnancies and STDs."[1]
The new Democratic-controlled Congress wants to abolish abstinence-only sex education programs, arguing that fornication is the norm (i.e., inevitable). But a 2004 Heritage Foundation study found that virginity pledges significantly reduce premarital sex without putting backsliders at risk. [2]
Notes and references
- ↑ WORKING TOWARD INDEPENDENCE Encourage Abstinence and Prevent Teen Pregnancy, White House News and Policies, February 2002
- ↑ Teens Who Make Virginity Pledges Have Substantially Improved Life Outcomes by Robert E. Rector, Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D., and Jennifer A. Marshall Center for Data Analysis Report #04-07 [1]