Well, it's a start

[Akaran_D]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/h ... ens11.html

Survey finds U.S. teens postponing sex

By Ceci Connolly
The Washington Post



WASHINGTON — U.S. teenagers are waiting longer to engage in sexual intercourse and an overwhelming majority of those who are sexually active report using contraception, according to a comprehensive, well-respected government survey.

The report examining youth behavior found that more young men in particular have postponed sex — 46 percent were sexually active in 2002 compared with 55 percent in 1995 — and 91 percent of males who had sex in the previous three months used contraception.

For the first time since the government began its National Survey of Family Growth in 1973, more girls (47 percent) say they have had sex than boys (46 percent). Girls also report a high use of contraceptives (83 percent).

In many cases, researchers found, teens are using two types of contraception, such as the pill and a condom, in an effort to reduce the likelihood of pregnancy and a sexually transmitted disease such as AIDS.

"The news is almost all positive," said Bill Albert, spokesman for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. "This data clearly underscores teens are being a bit more cautious about sex. This is a real sea change."

The data comes amid a ferocious debate over the value of abstinence-only education, an approach President Bush has backed with $170 million in federal funding next year. Both supporters and detractors of abstinence-until-marriage programs claimed the report validated their sharply differing views. More neutral academics said the positive trends likely reflected a combination of abstinence education and instruction on safer sex.

The National Center for Health Statistics interviewed nearly 3,000 teenagers in the home. Researchers praise the periodic survey as one of the most authoritative sources on adolescents, in part because it reaches teens in and out of school and measures behaviors as well as attitudes.

With the exception of 18- and 19-year-old girls, teens of both genders showed significant declines in early sexual activity. Older girls and African-American females were the only groups that did not show a drop in sexual activity. At the same time, nearly 10 percent of young women described their first sexual encounter as "nonvoluntary."

Hispanic teenagers were the least likely to use contraceptives, and 24 percent of Hispanic girls were likely to give birth before age 20, compared with 8 percent of white teens.

Some of the most dramatic improvement has come in the area of teen pregnancy. In 1991, 62 of every 1,000 females between 15 and 19 gave birth. A decade later, the rate fell to 43 per 1,000.

Even with such progress, U.S. teen birth rates remain among the highest in the developed world.

There are many theories for the lower rates in other countries, Kirby said, including wider availability of health care and information, less societal division over sex education and a higher poverty rate among American youth.

Given the growing number of young people using more than one type of contraceptive — as high as 30 percent in some groups — analysts said there is evidence to suggest teens are concerned about unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

The survey did raise questions about where young people receive information on reproductive health. One-third of teens said they did not learn about contraception in school, and only half of young women and one-third of young men said they had discussed birth control with a parent before turning 18.

[archeiron]

...

More neutral academics said the positive trends likely reflected a combination of abstinence education and instruction on safer sex.

...

Even with such progress, U.S. teen birth rates remain among the highest in the developed world.

There are many theories for the lower rates in other countries, Kirby said, including wider availability of health care and information, less societal division over sex education and a higher poverty rate among American youth.

...

The survey did raise questions about where young people receive information on reproductive health. One-third of teens said they did not learn about contraception in school, and only half of young women and one-third of young men said they had discussed birth control with a parent before turning 18.

I find the "Abstinence only" vs. "Sex Education" debate distasteful. It is a rediculous discussion like arguing over whether you should have only broccoli or only chicken with your healthy diet, when nutritionalists know perfectly well that you will have the healthiest balanced diet by eating both (a well balanced, healthy meal rather than just one healthy food type).

The problem with an "Abstinence only" education is that it caters to conservative, traditional values minded parents that may not strike cords with the all of the teens being taught especially the ones from more liberal families. Furthermore, teaching teens to wait for marriage to have sex has dangerously religious undertones and pushes one moral stance rather than allowing individual families to provide their own moral compass to their children.

Likewise, a purely "Sex Education" program that does not encourage abstinence offers a training course for how to use contraception without encouraging responsible behavior by waiting until you are old enough. The academic excercise of describing contraception and sexual reproduction without further guidance is just stimulating curiosity. Teens are notorious for relying upon "applied consent" from their authority figures: if you don't expressly tell them not to do something, they assume that it is allowed. Teens regularly make decisions based upon poor information, so not providing the statistics logic for delaying sexual activity leaves the door wide open for them to make bad decisions.

Ideally, the sex education should be offered at school while the parents provide the moral compass and drive for abstinence (or not). In practice, it is best if the authority figures in the schools explain why being cautious about sex in light of teenage pregnancy rates and STDs is statistically to the teens' advantage. The authority figures should show statistics of how responsible sexual activity (for those that do) has many fewer risks of seriously damaging the teens' futures. I offer the low teen pregnancy rates of many western and northern European countries as examples of this; these are not conservative religous states like the US but they are still able to properly educate their teens with the facts and encourage responsible behaviour.

The purpose of the education system is to educate, not consciously choose which side of the argument to teach and leave students ignorant of the other. Balance is the key.

[MooZilla]

let's see what atokal has to say on the subject...

[Hesten]

let's see what atokal has to say on the subject...

Or even better, lets not

[Niffoni]

After Arche's post, I don't think there's anything left to add.

[Fairweather Pure]

I think it is a direct result due to the fact that porn is so easily accessed via the internet. If I had an unlimited amount of porn to whack off to during my teen years, I may not have been so quick to finger-bang Mary Jane Rottencrotch through her pretty pink panties.

[Nick]

Haha and your surname is "pure" fairweather ya dirtbag!

On topic, well said Arch.

[Winnow]

I think it is a direct result due to the fact that porn is so easily accessed via the internet. If I had an unlimited amount of porn to whack off to during my teen years, I may not have been so quick to finger-bang Mary Jane Rottencrotch through her pretty pink panties.

Good point. Kids today have a decided advantage in access to whack material. A Playboy, Penthouse or Hustler magazine was like gold back in the day. Now you've got pr0n videos out the wazoo available from like 5 different sources on the net. Peer to Peer, Torrents, DC++, Newsgroups, backdoors on pr0n sites, etc. The kids who's parent's have surf watch software guarding their internet connection probably can get a loaded DVD of pr0n at school for a few bucks.

Lets see...one Penthouse or, 10,000 pictures and 10 hours of 100 DIVX Pr0n video clips on one DVD. Lucky bastards! It's easier to hide too!

pr0n saves the world yet again.

[Xzion]

I blame the fact on that everyone in this country is becomming a fatass and noone wants to have sex with a fatass...noone willingly watches porn when they could have the same opportunity to have sex, unless of course there ashamed of there fat, disgusting bodys

supposidly only 10% of the population can bench press there own body weight, that is a sad, sad statistic

I have never understood the western "taboo" about sexuality. It is a healthy act, both physically and psychologically. If our society was more open about sexuality we wouldnt have all these sick fucks having sex with little boys or engaging in rape. Catholic priests are the perfict example, they live an unhealthy lifestyle, denying themselves physical and mental fulfillment that is almost as essential as food and water, and due to that they live an unhealthy life. America, with its strong sexual taboos has a MUCH MUCH higher number of violent sex crimes then other countries in Europe that regard sexuality more naturally.

about birth controll...teach kids to use condoms, the way i see it engaging in sex as a teenager is healthy as it can promote strong relationships in the future, being that sex wont be the overwhelming issue in a serious relationship, if people expiriment as teenagers, they are less likely to get a divorce later in life due to cheating,
have sex enough so that sex is a non issue in a serious, loving relationship and you can look beyond it...sex itself is nothing but an act, emotional ties and "meaning" can be attached to it depending on the partner