12.24.2008

THESE DAYS, EVEN VIRGINS HAVE HAD SEX

And while we’re on the subject of the sex lives of students, an eight-year-long study of over 12,000 American teenagers has revealed that kids involved in abstinence programs (where they pledge to remain virgins until they are married) suffer from almost exactly the same rate of sexually transmitted diseases as other young people. The study also found that abstinence programs do not prevent early pregnancy, and only about 12 per cent of teens in these programs actually save themselves for marriage. Although the teens who have pledged to remain virgins begin having sex later and have fewer partners, their rates of disease and pregnancy are actually higher because they are less likely to use condoms, are less aware of sexually transmitted infections, and are less likely to seek treatment, and so more easily spread their infections to other people. (The Guardian)

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