tive decision for them to make, and the best way to prevent pregnancy as well as harmful diseases that can do much damage to their bodies. Abstinence is a choice that would save many young people from much distress, it should furthermore be encouraged by Georgia public schools so that they know that it is a choice that might be hard but can benefit them greatly.Georgia public schools should encourage abstinence because it is a way that society can be sure to diminish the amount of sexually transmitted diseases as well as teen pregnancy. In our society today many young people are choosing to be sexually active. Because of this, the risks of contracting a sexually transmitted disease in teens are high. Statistics show that “each year 15.3 million new STD cases are diagnosed. Two thirds of those who contract an STD are under the age of 25. At least three million are between ages 15 and 19” ( Bonavoglia 55). It is saddening to think about how these young people who have their whole lives ahead of them being infected with a disease. Teens need to be taught that they can have more for their future and a way they can assure that is but remaining abstinent. Education is the first step in a teenager’s life to enable them and encourage them to make the right decisions regarding sexual activity. In the adolescent's reports of reproductive health education there was a study done to prove that abstinence based sexual education has helped the young people in our society. The authors studied reproductive health education that encouraged abstinence as well as promoted safe sex. They found that “ school based instruction is a primary mode of reproductive health education: It can reduce sexual risk behaviors by delaying age at first intercourse, reducing levels of sexual activity and increasing contraceptive or condom use”(Lindberg, Ku, Sonenstein 1) In these studies it has been proven that abstinence based educatio...
