Teen sex: Inevitable?
Published by anonymous October 19th, 2009 in Abstinence
Here is an interesting blog that I recently read and wanted to share:
RappTAP is helping kids realize the benefits of waiting for sex
Date published: 10/16/2009
THE Rappahannock Area Teen Abstinence Program seems to be making progress in promoting healthy choices among community young people. Through a grant, RappTAP has been delivering the message “I’m Worth the Wait” in nearly every school in Planning District 16. A first-year evaluation by the Center for Applied Research found that students’ “change in knowledge from pretest to posttest was exceptional.”
In other words, after listening to the medically based RappTAP presentations, kids had more accurate views of the prevalence of teen sexual activity, STDs, and the impact that sex could have on their futures.
Lately, war has been declared on abstinence education, which some declare “ineffective.” Gov. Kaine refused federal funding in 2007, despite a Virginia Department of Health study that found that kids receiving abstinence education were only 45.7 percent as likely to start having sex as kids who got the “comprehensive” message.
Most agree that teen sex brings with it physical, emotional, and social problems. A Zogby poll finds that 80 percent of parents would like their kids to save sex for marriage. Yet organizations such as RappTAP, which holds its annual fundraiser this Sunday, fight an uphill battle to deliver that message.
Kids can choose to avoid pregnancy, STDs, and the emotional trauma often unleashed by premarital sex. They just need the reasons and encouragement to do so. There’s more information at imworththewait.com.
Source: Fredricksburg.com