A new website published by the Central District Health Department (CDH) – a public health entity serving the Treasure Valley – to educate teens on sex and methods of contraception is missing something that Internet pages for other reproductive health clinics aren’t.
The site, dubbed Reveal4Real.org, is lacking any references to the most effective form of birth control – abstinence – on its page dedicated to contraception. The page lists several other methods teens can use, however, including condoms, sponges, pills, rings, and even full-on sterilization. The web page, launched in late-December, promises to “reveal what’s real about sex, birth control, sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy.”
Dave Fotsch, public information officer for CDH, says the point of the website isn’t to prevent teens from having sex, but rather to help them make wise choices when they choose to become sexually active. “This website is for teens who are contemplating becoming sexually active or are already having sex,” said Fotsch.
The target for the site instead is to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) through “good information” about contraception and sex. “They [teens] probably don’t want to talk to their parents about it,” said Fotsch, “and parents probably aren’t comfortable talking with their kids about it.”
Though abstinence is not expressly listed as a sure-fire form of contraception, Fotsch points out that it is noted under the section about STDs on the website. “We certainly don’t dismiss abstinence,” he explained. “When people come into our clinic, abstinence is always discussed.” Abstinence is given quick mentions at the bottom of the pages for each different type of STD and how to prevent infections.
Other websites dedicated to safe-sex and anti-pregnancy practices typically include references to abstinence and one website published by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare describes not having sex as “the only sure fire way” to prevent unwanted pregnancies. The site, found at Safesex.idaho.gov, says that to avoid pregnancies and sexually-transmitted diseases, avoiding sex altogether is the premier manner to achieve those objectives.
Planned Parenthood, one of the top family planning clinics in the United States, also includes abstinence on its long list of contraceptive methods. Of the 19 methods listed by the organization on its website, abstinence is described as “one of the safest ways to prevent pregnancy.” Planned Parenthood’s section explaining abstinence even boasts a special box for teens on why postponing sex might be the right thing to do for better health in the long run.
Abstinence should be added to the web site and when they add it they should discuss the real failure rate of abstinence. Abstinence is not a surefire way to avoid pregnancy. For every 1000 people who decide abstinence will be their method of birth control, how many actually end up pregnant? That is the real number that should be reported in the failure rate. You may argue that if they have sex then they didn’t use the method. Consider that if a condom breaks we count that as a failure of the chosen method. Deciding to remain abstinent and then having sex is a failure of the chosen method, too.
The real question is why aren’t they discussing using multiple methods? It would be safer to use the pill and condoms, or pair IUD and condoms, or even pair condoms and abstinence (in other words, it’s OK to carry a condom around with you, even if you’re not intending to have sex).
Also, we should be teaching our kids when is the right moment to get the condoms out, as in this commercial: http://bcove.me/93c99ikg
These methods only prevent the birth of a child and does nothing about preventing STDs.
Everyone can pass their STDs around while I use abstinence.
that is ridiculous…it is also ridiculous to pretend Planned Parenthood in any way “Encourages” abstinence….they love abortion and birth control. In fact they were founded on eugenics- watch Maafa21 http://www.maafa21.com
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What imaginative brilliance…I can envision their next web site on teenage alcohol and drug abuse prevention. Let’s not waste time on telling the kids not to start drinking and snorting…let’s tell them the effects after they’re hooked. Then maybe a web site that addresses child/spousal abuse after the broken bones heal. I’m amazed no one thought of this before. Let’s wait til after the damage is done to address ALL aspects of a social problem.
This sounds like a chapter out of a Pelosi and Reid comic book.
Seriously? I think if anyone is visiting CDH or R4R, they have already bypassed abstinence and gone straight to worrying about being pregnant and/or having an STD. You, as a parent, already blew it!
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/3/abstinent-teens-test-positive-stds/?page=1
One of the reasons Abstinence is not listed as a birth control method on our Reveal4Real website is that it is a behavior and not an actual method. If practiced 100% of the time it does prevent pregnancies and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. The link above is to a Washington Times article that points out even young people who claim to be abstinent are turning up with sexually transmitted diseases. Part of that problem is each young person’s own definition of abstinence. Kids can go a long way without actual coitus, and in the process spread diseases.
The information on Reveal4Real has been carefully researched and verified by a number of nationally recognized organizations, including the CDC. Unfortunately, there has been very little research on abstinence as an actual pregnancy prevention method and its failure rates. This creates a documentation problem for a medical and information based website since there isn’t accurate, up-to-date information on the rates. In any method there are user-failure rates and method-failure rates. User failure rates on abstinence range between 26%-70% depending on which research used (Haignere et al). Teens and young adults are typically defined as “periodic abstainers” who’s abstinence failure rates are 25-85% failure rates. The large range is because of variable definitions of abstinence and sex.
Sure, the method-failure rate of abstinence from all sex acts is 0% but that only applies for the perfect user. Given that over half of Idaho students are sexually active before they graduate (YRBS) promoting methods with high failure rates wouldn’t be providing medically accurate information, nor would it be helping young people make informed decisions about how to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
We often forget how important our health is. Only when there are diseases and conditions, we often notice that we have previously done something wrong.