March 14, 2018

Yes, Abstinence Is Beneficial and Worth Promoting

Despite what the Guttmacher Institute insists, sexual abstinence is important to teach if we want to put America back on track.

In a recent report, the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute bemoaned the fact that during “February 2018, the Title V abstinence-only program (which expired briefly in September 2017) was renewed for two more years at $75 million annually under the new name of ‘sexual risk avoidance education.’”

The organization asserts that “abstinence-only programs do not work to deter or delay sex among young people” and is critical that “one of the most significant changes has been to rebrand abstinence-only programs as ‘sexual risk avoidance’ programs, based on the premise that young people should be held to a higher standard of behavior than merely risk reduction.”

The institute maintains that abstinence works “for activities that have inherent dangers that outweigh any potential benefits, such as cigarette smoking or drunk driving.” However, “Sexual activity is not like many other risky behaviors, which can be prevented altogether. By contrast, sexual activity is a natural and healthy part of being human, and sexuality — far from being inherently harmful — can offer pleasure and intimacy throughout one’s life, not to mention the potential for having children.” All of these talking points are either wrong, half-truths or shortsighted misguidance.

As far as the nurturing of abstinence is concerned, Michael J. New reports in National Review:

> A 2010 a study in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine analyzed over 600 African American middle-school students in the Philadelphia area. It found that students assigned to an abstinence-only program were less likely to engage in sexual activity than students randomly assigned to other groups, including a sex-education program that emphasized condom use. Similarly, a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health analyzed over 800 students from a predominantly African-American and Hispanic school district in Southeast Texas. It found that those students assigned to a sex-education program intended to delay sex were statistically less likely to have initiated sexual activity than a comparison group that attended regular health-education classes. Unsurprisingly, Guttmacher makes no mention of this.

Liberally handing out condoms is a worthless endeavor too. A 2016 study concluded that the distribution of this form of birth control augmented teen pregnancies and made sexually transmitted diseases more widespread.

The institute’s attempt to differentiate non-marital sexual behavior with other risk factors like smoking and drinking is confounding, but it makes sense from a secular point of view. If your belief is that sex is meaningless, of course casual sex will be acceptable in your eyes. But sex isn’t meaningless. It’s designed to reflect a spiritual and emotional connection inside a marriage.

That’s why we call it a half-truth when Guttmacher says that “sexual activity is a natural and healthy part of being human” and “can offer pleasure and intimacy throughout one’s life.” But again, the key is whether sexual activity has a spiritual and emotional coupling. Without that coupling, sex is meaningless in the sense that it leads to an unfulfilled, noncommittal lifestyle.

Sadly, some conservatives argue that having condoms procurable is necessary because abstinence education isn’t foolproof and sometimes hormones will simply win the day. But even if abstinence promotion doesn’t always work, it’s nevertheless the right thing to teach. It’s also an argument in favor of bolstering the discussion with a spiritual angle.

As much as the Left hates to admit it, the “war on poverty,” purging God from schools and the sexual revolution all contributed to the proliferation of sexual intercourse among teens. The most beneficial effect would be not just teaching abstinence but explaining why it matters. The reason there are risks to non-marital sex is because sexuality is rooted in God’s design for humans. You can’t dig up the foundation without serious consequences.

Follow Jordan on Twitter.

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.