“How Can Teens Be Hurt By That?”

by David Safier

Today’s Daily Star carried an op ed, Why schools should teach abstinence. The writer, Johnny L. Williams, doesn’t spend much time defending abstinence-only education. Instead, he tells stories about famous young people who held onto their virginity – an American Idol winner, a Miss USA, a basketball player.

He ends the op ed by writing, “… teens can make wise decisions regarding abstinence. The schools should teach and encourage this option. How can teens be hurt by that?”

Let’s see, how can teens be hurt by teaching them abstinence only and just mentioning birth control to show how unreliable it is?

Here’s an analogy. In Driver’s Ed, we shouldn’t teach students to use seat belts. As a matter of fact, we should encourage them to disable their car’s air bags. All those safety features just encourage teens to drive recklessly, because they know if they get in an accident, the seat belt and air bag will protect them.

Just teach them to avoid getting in accidents. Just Say No to Accidents! Maybe we can even get them to take a no-accident pledge.

Schools should teach teens to do the right thing, to forget about all those safety features and instead make wise decisions when they drive. How can teens be hurt by that?