cal is ineffective.Abstinence-only education does not work. In fact, it has never worked. Abstinence-only programs tend to rely on lectures as the main educational strategy, substitute slogans for discussion, and exaggerate the consequences of sexual behavior to scare young people into abstaining. Proponents these fear-based programs make broad claims that are completely unproven. They argue that if you tell young people to abstain from sexual intercourse, they will. They promise that these "just say no" programs will keep teenagers from developing "too serious" relationships, from being emotionally hurt, from experimenting with intimacy and sexual behaviors, and, of course, from getting pregnant and contracting a sexually transmitted diseases. There is no reason to believe that these claims are true. Charles Morrison, family living and sexuality educator for Portland schools states, "To preach pure abstinence and nothing else is irresponsiblethe research is clear, abstinence programs don't work. If they did, we wouldn't have to invent the birth control pill" (Ferriss) Research on abstinence-only education would probably disturb most of its supporters. Not only is the method completely ineffective, it actually increases STD rates and teen pregnancy. "About 50% of school districts in the South have abstinence-only policies when some of the highest rates of STDs and teen pregnancy occur in the South" (Shelton). And, astoundingly, the results of some abstinence-based programs have actually boomeranged in the opposite direction of the Trinchieri 12program's goal of celibacy. "A recent $5 million abstinence-only initiative in California not only did not increase the number of young people who abstained, but actually resulted in more students having sexual intercourse after having participated in the course." (McIlhaney) The explanation for this is unclear, but perhaps the students discredited educator's message from the lack ...
