US teen pregnancy and STD rates validate abstinence education

[Soldier4Christ]

Although worldwide teen sexual activity has decreased in recent years, Concerned Women for America (CWA) is lamenting the fact that the United States still leads the world's industrialized nations in teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted disesases. A report released by Child Trends finds teens are imperfect users of birth control, with less than 30 percent of females and less that 50 percent of males reporting consistent condom use, and over ten percent of males and nearly 20 percent of females saying they never use a condom. Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse, Senior Fellow of CWA's Beverly LaHaye Institute, feels it would be easy to become complacent about the good news of decreased teen sexual activity; however, she says the U.S. still has too many sexually active youth, with 47 percent of teens reporting they have engaged in gotcha146. "How sad is it," Crouse asks, "that the United States has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and STDs in the industrialized world?" She says the factual evidence "seems to shout at public officials that it is unrealistic and cruel to promote condoms and contraception as protection for teens," especially when "the data supports the validity of an abstinence-based approach for teens." Young people need to be nurtured to high standards of personal conduct within a culture that has been built to protect and empower young people for productive lives.