I looked up the word “safe” on my computer’s thesaurus. I’d like to share with you just a few of the synonyms it gave: secure, protected, out of harms way, harmless, innocent and reliable. Now, consider those same terms in connection to giving teens a condom and encouraging them to cheat on their future spouse. It’s a laughable concept if you give it any real thought, yet many try to advocate the idea as valid.
When teens learn to drive we don’t teach them how to minimize the damage of a future crash because it is inevitable. We give our teens the skills to be successful drivers. Likewise, we must give our teens successful life skills to make wise choices, not assume they will fail to do so. Our Choose to Wait abstinence education program believes in the educational process as well as this generation. We have a deliberate focus and approach of educating teens of not only physical consequences of sex outside the boundary of marriage, but mental, emotional, social and ethical consequences as well. The “safe-sex” message focuses only on attempting to minimize physical risks. There is no “protection” for our mental, emotional, social and ethical bonding that this type of intimacy brings. Abstinence is not a moral issue; it is a medically accurate and scientifically sound fact that participating in sex outside the boundary of marriage is not in our best interest and cannot be made “safe” by any means of protection.
Many believe that “not only are teens having more sex, they are having more unsafe sex.” The first phrase of that sentence is the crux of the problem and the second is the misnomer. If teens are having more sex how does it stand to reason that teaching them to have sex in any way is a solution? Abstinence outside of marriage and fidelity within marriage is not only an attainable and realistic goal, but it is in our best interest. Teaching teens how to choose a second or third best choice is exactly what puts them in an “unsafe” situation. To focus only on the risk of unwanted pregnancy is short-sited. What about the Sexually Transmitted Infection/Disease (STI/STD) rates which are at “epidemic” proportions? The National Institute of Health analysis of the protective factor of condoms found there is no sound evidence to support condoms reduce the risk of acquiring many of the most common STD’s.
Risk avoidance, not risk management is in the best interest of everyone, especially our youth! Education complete with truth, facts and data empower and equip teens to make wise choices, not compromising ones. I am certain that the majority of Americans believe in teaching our teens they are worth more than the compromises the media and our culture would have them make. Please join me in believing in this generation!
Tracey Pike, Director of Community Education
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