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Teen Talk Teen Talk is a
section of our website designed exclusively for teens. Here
you can find monthly tips and quotes, news, pre and post surveys,
drama team performance updates, photos, and more. This page
will be updated frequently, so check it often.
What is Abstinence
By: Larissa Hirsch
From
http://www.dreamsanddecisions.com/html/fulfilling_your_dreams.html
Abstinence is not having sex. A person who decides to practice
abstinence has decided not to have sex.
“All Happiness lies in two words: sustain and abstain.”
~Epicitus
 If
two people don't have sex, then sperm can't fertilize an egg and
there's no possibility of a pregnancy. Some forms of birth control
depend on barriers that prevent the sperm from reaching the egg
(such as condoms or diaphragms). Others interfere with the menstrual
cycle (as birth control pills do). With abstinence, no barriers or
pills are necessary because the person is not having sex.
You don't have to be a virgin to practice abstinence. Sometimes
people who have been having sex decide not to continue having sex.
Even if a person has been having sex, he or she can still choose
abstinence to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s).
Abstinence is 100% effective in preventing pregnancy. Although many
birth control methods can have high rates of success if used
properly, they can fail occasionally. Practicing abstinence ensures
that a girl will not become pregnant because there is no opportunity
for sperm to fertilize an egg.
 Abstinence
protects people against STDs. Some STDs spread through oral-genital
sex, anal sex, or even intimate skin-to-skin contact without actual
penetration (genital warts and herpes can be spread this way). So
only avoiding all types of intimate genital contact can prevent
STDs. Avoiding all types of intimate genital contact — including
anal and oral sex — is complete abstinence.
Only complete and consistent abstinence can totally prevent
pregnancy and protect against STDs. Because a person does not have
any type of intimate sexual contact when he or she practices
complete abstinence, there is no risk of passing on a sexually
transmitted infection.
Consistent abstinence means that someone practices abstinence all
the time. Having sex even once means that the person risks getting
an infection.
Abstinence does not prevent AIDS and hepatitis B infections that
come from nonsexual activities like using contaminated needles for
doing drugs, tattooing, or taking steroids.
Not having sex may seem easy because it's not doing anything. But
peer pressure and things you see on TV and in the movies can make
the decision to practice abstinence more difficult.
If it seems like everybody else is having sex, some people may
feel they have to do it, too, just to be accepted. Don't let kidding
or pressure from friends, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, or even the
media push you into something that's not right for you. The truth is
that most teens are not having sex.
A couple can still have a relationship without having sex. If
you've made a decision not to have sex, it's an important personal
choice and the people who care about you should respect that.
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Quote of the
Month:
“I loved this class and I thought about having sex before
marriage, but you inspired me!”
-- Middle School Student, Rutherford County
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Data & Statistics:
- Is Abstinence Realistic?
Posted: January 21, 2005
By Ed Vitagliano, AFA Journal News Editor, June 3, 2003
The majority of teenagers in high school are virgins.
Surprised? In our over-sexed society, it may seem hard to believe
that sexual self-restraint may be catching on again – and even
more unexpected that it is catching on among a growing number of
young people.
Yet abstinence – or the “New Virginity,” as Newsweek magazine
called it in a cover story – appears to be an increasingly
attractive lifestyle option for America’s youth. According to the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the
percentage of kids in high school who say they’ve never had sex
rose from 46% to 54% between 1991 and 2001. Go to
www.abstinence.net for the rest of the story.
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Links:
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WHAT
IS ABSTINENCE?
