FIND PAST HOMEPAGE TOPICS UNDER "CURRENT HEADLINES" IN THE LEFT MENU…
www.LoveFacts.org
What You DON'T Know CAN Hurt You…
Hurdler Raises the Bar
Faces of Abstinence
QuickStats: Birth Rates* for Teens Aged 15–19 Years, by Age Group — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 1960–2010†
Sexual Experience and Contraceptive Use Among Female Teens — United States, 1995, 2002, and 2006–2010
Contraception Not Responsible for Teen Birth Decrease
The Solution for the Promiscuity Problem
International Women's Day, Nigeria
Behind the Science of Fatherhood
Winning the Fight against Pornography
ALL’s video “Hooking Kids on Sex” is back!
Graham Introduces Abstinence Education Bill in the Senate
Abstinence Day on the Hill
Abstinence Education Has Many Positive Effects
162 Benefits to Marriage
Dads and Daughters
Abstinence Equals Academic Success
Parent Beware
How Planned Parenthood Hooks Kids on Sex (WARNING: Graphic Material)
The Cost of the Sexual Revolution
Abstinence is the Answer
What's Wrong with Marriage in America?
Cohabitation is not Marriage
From Conflict to Communication
The Best Environment
Resources for Parents
Modesty, Abstinence, & Courage Are the Most Important Behaviors to Instill
Study: Porn Use Makes Teen Girls Five Times More Likely to Have Group Sex…
Hurdler Raises the Bar
Lolo Jones made national news recently, not for making the Olympic team in hurdling, but for presenting herself to the media as a virgin. "It's just something, a gift I want to give to my husband," said Jones.
Way to inspire athletes and others to raise the bar and wait for marriage!
May you have great success in London!
[posted 1 June 2012, http://www.abstinence.net/our-blog/abstinence-posts/hurdler-raises-the-bar/]
Faces of Abstinence
Lindsey and Evan were married on May 27, 2012 in Princeton, TX. The couple met in college and were best friends before they began dating each other in 2010. Both were committed to abstaining from sexual activity until they were married.
Lindsey wore a purity ring her parents gave her until her wedding day when she gave it back to them and let them know that she had kept her promise to them to remain pure for her husband. Congratulations, Evan and Lindsey! We wish you the very best as you begin your new life together!
National Abstinence Clearinghouse's selection of PURITY RINGS — http://www.abstinence.net/store/?wpsc_product_category=purity-rings
QuickStats: Birth Rates* for Teens Aged 15–19 Years, by Age Group — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 1960–2010†
U.S. teen birth rates declined to historic lows for all age groups in 2010. The rate for teens aged 15–19 years fell 62% from 1960, when the birth rate was 89.1 per 1,000 women, and 44% from a rate of 61.8 in 1991 to 34.3 in 2010. Most of the decline in birth rates for teens occurred from 1960 to 1980 and then again after 1991. Decreases in birth rates for teens aged 18–19 years generally were greater than the decreases for teens aged 15–17 years from 1960 through 1978. From 1991 to 2010, decreases in birth rates for teens aged 15–17 years were greater.
Alternate Text: The figure above shows birth rates for teens aged 15-19 years, by age group, in the United States during 1960-2010. U.S. teen birth rates declined to historic lows for all age groups in 2010. The rate for teens aged 15-19 years fell 62% from 1960, when the birth rate was 89.1 per 1,000 women and 44% from a rate of 61.8 in 1991 to 34.3 in 2010. Most of the decline in birth rates for teens occurred from 1960 to 1980 and then again after 1991. Decreases in birth rates for teens aged 18-19 years generally we
re greater than the decreases for teens aged 15-17 years from 1960 to 1978. From 1991 to 2010, decreases in birth rates for teens aged 15-17 years were greater.
* Births per 1,000 females in specified age group.
† Data for 2010 are preliminary.
Source: Hamilton BE, Ventura SJ. Birth rates for U.S. teenagers reach historic lows for all age and ethnic groups. NCHS data brief, no 89. Hyattsville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, National Center for Health Statistics; 2012. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db89.htm
[CDC MMWR Weekly, May 11, 2012 / 61(18);330 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6118a8.htm?s_cid=mm6118a8_e ]
Sexual Experience and Contraceptive Use Among Female Teens — United States, 1995, 2002, and 2006–2010
CDC MMWR Weekly, May 4, 2012 / 61(17);297-301
The 2010 U.S. teen birth rate of 34.3 births per 1,000 females reflected a 44% decline from 1990 (1). Despite this trend, U.S. teen birth rates remain higher than rates in other developed countries; approximately 368,000 births occurred among teens aged 15–19 years in 2010, and marked racial/ethnic disparities persist (1,2).
To describe trends in sexual experience and use of contraceptive methods among females aged 15–19 years, CDC analyzed data from the National Survey of Family Growth collected for 1995, 2002, and 2006–2010 (3). During 2006–2010, 57% of females aged 15–19 years had never had sex (defined as vaginal intercourse), an increase from 49% in 1995. Younger teens (aged 15–17 years) were more likely not to have had sex (73%) than older teens (36%); the proportion of teens who had never had sex did not differ by race/ethnicity. Approximately 60% of sexually experienced teens reported current use of highly effective contraceptive methods (e.g., intrauterine device [IUD] or hormonal methods), an increase from 47% in 1995. However, use of highly effective methods varied by race/ethnicity, with higher rates observed for non-Hispanic whites (66%) than non-Hispanic black (46%) and Hispanic teens (54%). Addressing the complex issue of teen childbearing requires a comprehensive approach to sexual and reproductive health that includes continued promotion of delayed sexual debut and increased use of highly effective contraception among sexually experienced teens.
Nationally representative data on females aged 15–19 years were obtained from three survey cycles of the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG): 1995, 2002, and 2006–2010. NSFG is an in-person, household survey conducted by CDC's National Center for Health Statistics using a stratified, multistage probability sample of females and males aged 15–44 years. The response rate for females was 76%. Survey topics included self-reported sexual activity and contraceptive use (4). Respondents who answered "yes" to ever having vaginal intercourse were considered sexually experienced.
Respondents who were pregnant, postpartum, seeking pregnancy, or who had not had sex during the interview month were excluded from analyses on contraceptives used during the interview month. The remaining respondents were classified as currently using contraception (specifying up to four methods) or not currently using contraception.
[4 May 2012, CDC, MMWR Weekly, 61(17);297-301, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6117a1.htm?s_cid=mm6117a1_e]
Contraception Not Responsible for Dropping Teen Births
Last week, the New York Times’s “Motherlode” blog published a story about the recent decline in the teen-pregnancy rate. Recent reports indicate that the teen-pregnancy rates in the United States are declining, and currently stand at a 30-year low. Not surprisingly, the Times was quick to credit increased contraception use for the decline. In reality, however, the data paints a far more nuanced picture.
The Times article cites a recent CDC study that indicates that the percentage of sexually active teens using the birth control pill has increased since 1995. However, the same study shows percentage of teens using condoms has actually decreased by an even greater amount since that time. Furthermore, the CDC finds the percentage of female teens who never engaged in sexual activity has increased by 16 percent since 1995. Not surprisingly, the Times makes no mention of this.
The Motherlode post also engages in some questionable state-level analysis. The author argues that the five states where minors are most likely to report using birth-control pills have teen birth rates either at or below the national average. However, the author overstates her case. First, the statistics cited by the author indicate nearly one-third of the states do not report any data on teen birth-control use. Second, available data indicate that there is relatively little state-level variance in teen contraceptive use.
The author also argues that five states with the highest teen-pregnancy rates tend to require parental permission for birth control and emphasize abstinence-only education. The author neglects to mention that these states are southern states with above-average poverty rates — and a number of studies find a correlation between poverty and teen births.
Interestingly, state data can also be used to tell a different story. State data demonstrate that pregnant teenagers in red states are far less likely to obtain an abortion than their blue state counterparts. Similarly, the abortion rate in abstinence-friendly red states is lower than the abortion rate in contraceptive-friendly blue states. However, statistics like this seldom appear in the New York Times.
LifeNews.com Note: Dr. Michael New is a political science professor at the University of Michigan–Dearborn and holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He is a fellow at Witherspoon Institute in Princeton, New Jersey.
[http://www.lifenews.com/2012/05/15/contraception-not-responsible-for-dropping-teen-births/]
The Solution for the Promiscuity Problem
The following article may be one of the best written articles about promiscuity in society EVER. Armstrong Williams dissects the culture's view of promiscuity and the double standard held for men and women. The American culture glorifies the man with several sexual partners. But when a woman is known to have slept around with multiple men, she is a "slut" and made to feel worthless.
So the author asks the question, "What's the solution?" Should everyone just sleep around, lower the bar and throw the consequences of sexual activity (STDs, unplanned pregnancy, emotional turmoil) out the window?
By no means! "Men need to stop encouraging one another to seduce women and then abandon them; men need to compete at other things. No one gets hurt when men test each other's manhood on the basketball court; when they do the same thing with women's hearts, everyone in society is hurt," writes Armstrong.
Armstrong Williams article 'On Promiscuity' — 17 April 12, http://townhall.com/columnists/armstrongwilliams/2012/04/17/on_promiscuity
[9 May 2012, http://www.abstinence.net/our-blog/the-culture/the-solution-for-the-promiscuity-problem/]
International Women's Day, Nigeria
The women in Nigeria really know how to throw an "International Women's Day" party. This year the Human Virology of Nigeria is planning on celebrating by educating young girls on the n
eed to protect themselves from STDs and other noncommunicable diseases by practicing abstinence. In Nigeria, AIDS is the eighth leading cause of death for adolescents 15-19 years old, and the sixth leading cause of death for children 10-14 years old. Abstinence education is vital to the health of their nation.
Full Article, 17 April 2012 — http://allafrica.com/stories/201204170057.html
[9 May 2012, http://www.abstinence.net/our-blog/abstinence-posts/international-womens-day-nigeria/]
Behind the Science of Fatherhood
A new blog is being written for anyone who is a father, has a father, or knows a father.
Although it's written from a secular perspective, the information is extremely relevant.
The authors, two PhDs, look at the anthropological and biological implications of a father's role in the family and how his relationship with his children affects society as a whole.
New Blog — http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-evolving-father/201204/not-just-another-daddy-blog?goback=.gde_119122_member_108864012
[9 May 2012, http://www.abstinence.net/library/parents-corner/behind-the-science-of-fatherhood/]
Winning the Fight against Pornography
Patrick A. Trueman, President of Morality in the Media, wrote a compelling article that was published in the online journal of the Witherspoon Institute of Princeton entitled "Protecting Innocence: The Adult-Child Pornography Link."
The commentary dives deep into the problem of the creation and distribution of child pornography, not only in the United States, but also globally. Trueman's premise is that the rise of those who exploit children sexually can be attributed to the lack of prosecution of perpetrators. He puts the spotlight on the Obama administration and the U.S. Department of Justice for not taking any child pornography cases since Obama's inauguration in 2009. A strong opposition and a national declaration of war on the pornography industry is what it will take to save the innocence of children in the United States.
Trueman Article — Protecting Innocence: The Adult-Child Pornography Link
http://pornharms.com/mim/wp-content/uploads/MIM-1207_AdultChild-Link_WEB.pdf
[9 May 2012, http://www.abstinence.net/our-blog/pornography/winning-the-fight-against-pornography/]
ALL’s video “Hooking Kids on Sex” is back!
After just four days on YouTube, "Hooking Kids on Sex," an investigative report on Planned Parenthood sex education, exceeded 200,000 views. Then, an ex-intern of Planned Parenthood got the white-hot video blocked by YouTube. In place of the downed video, a message now appears: "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Jessica Faerman."
"Hooking Kids on Sex" shows that Planned Parenthood uses pornographic illustrations, contests, workshops, and even cartoons to encourage sexual activity at very early ages when sexual addiction can be a real concern. The report also documents "no pants sex parties" that are sponsored by Planned Parenthood and that offer free sex kits and free sex toys to college students.
ALL leadership firmly believes that Planned Parenthood used Ms. Faerman's claim as a ploy to disrupt the viral explosion of the ALL Report. ALL will post the new video on private servers in addition to YouTube so that "Planned Parenthood cannot create disruptions with unsubstantiated claims." Further, ALL has engaged legal counsel, guaranteeing at the outset that the new video will not be taken down without a court order.
The new video report, "Hooking Kids on Sex II," can be seen on American Life League's YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7XR9yH2ETk&feature=youtu.be&hd=1) and also on an embeddable permalink on ALL's private video server (http://www.all.org/ppsexed). Be sure to forward this link to your family, friends and colleagues (with a parental advisory warning!) [http://www.all.org/article/index/id/MTAwNzE/]
Graham Introduces Abstinence Education Bill in the Senate
Senator Lindsey Graham (SC) introduced the Abstinence Education Reallocation Act, S.2185, in the Senate, together with original cosponsor Senator John Thune (SD), "to provide qualified sexual risk avoidance education to youth and their parents".
The bill will place a priority on Sexual Risk Avoidance (SRA) as the optimal choice among America’s teens. Since nearly 75% of 15-17 year olds are now sexually abstinent, the need to encourage these healthy behaviors is essential.
Valerie Huber, Executive Director of NAEA applauded Senator Graham’s efforts: “In a perplexing move, President Obama is calling on Congress to eliminate every penny devoted to the Sexual Risk Avoidance abstinence approach despite the fact that studies show this approach is effective. We are happy that Senator Graham is infusing science and common sense back into the sex education discussion. This bill seeks the best health interests of America’s youth.”
Social science research extols the benefits of delayed sexual onset, which reach far beyond the prevention of pregnancy and STDs. “We cannot overestimate the societal and individual benefits associated with sexual abstinence before marriage,” adds Huber.
The Graham bill is a Senate companion to HR 2874, introduced by Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL) in the House. The House version has acquired almost 70 cosponsors spanning both sides of the aisle, showing widespread support for this strategy among Members. “It’s time for the Senate to do the same,” concluded Huber.
[19 Mar 2012, National Abstinence Education Association Press Release]
Abstinence Day on the Hill is this Week!!!
The annual Abstinence Day on the Hill will be held Friday, March 23. Supporters of abstinence education and students who have been positively impacted by the abstinence message will be visiting their Members of Congress to encourage Congress to make Sexual Risk Avoidance (SRA) a priority in sex education policy.
[19 Mar 2012, National Abstinence Education Association]
Abstinence Education Has Many Positive Effects
Though new research reveals that abstinence-only education positively affects students' math grades and personal relationships, one proponent asserts that such teaching is still far from being generally accepted.
The American Journal for Health Studies conducted the research to find that being enrolled in abstinence-only programs does not affect English skills or attendance rates, but it does improve math scores. Twenty-one abstinence-only schools were matched against 21 control schools in Indiana. The purpose was to determine whether such programs have any discernible academic effect.
"The researchers were suggesting that it was probably because there are a number of character qualities that are necessary to remain abstinent that also have … usefulness in other areas of their lives," explains Valerie Huber of the National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA).
Valerie Huber She says being responsible for one's personal behavior and practicing delayed gratification are just two characteristics.
"We've been seeing for a long time that abstinence education isn&
#39;t just about saying 'no' to sex; it's saying 'yes' to a lot of things in the future," Huber asserts, "and it positively impacts a person's life — not just in that very singular area of sexual activity."
But even though the study offers support to proponents, the NAEA executive director says abstinence-only education is still far from being generally accepted.
The study shows that such programs have produced better GPAs, stronger peer relations, and positive youth development, while making students aware of the consequences of risky behavior, such as teen pregnancy or sexually-transmitted diseases.
[Bob Kellogg – OneNewsNow – 3/16/2012, http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=1557558&utm_source=General+Email+list+for+Weekly+Updates&utm_campaign=ba28e661a4-January+5+2012+weekly+update&utm_medium=email]
162 Benefits to Marriage
Check out this study from the Family Research Council entitled "162 Reasons to Marry." Children do best in healthy, happy intact families where they learn valuable social skills. Among other benefits of a healthy marriage for children is that they are more likely to choose sexual abstinence.
[14 Feb 12, abstinence.net]
Dads and Daughters
We can't stress enough the impact of fathers on their children. The father-daughter relationship, in particular, influences what kind of man girls will marry someday. The following article by Focus on the Family gives examples of fun date-night ideas for dads and their daughters. The BEST thing dads can do for their teenage daughters is to take them to a Father Daughter Purity Ball. The National Abstinence Clearinghouse is co-sponsoring a Purity Ball on Saturday, February 25. [14 Feb 12, abstinence.net]
Abstinence Equals Academic Success
In studying 42 Indiana high schools, researchers at Purdue University found that students involved in abstinence programs have higher success in academics. Those schools with the longest running abstinence programs did even better. These results are not surprising. Character building, goal setting, and finding positive role models are a part of good abstinence education. Way to go Indiana for raising the bar! [14 Feb 12, abstinence.net]
Parent Beware
Wondering exactly what's in those new sex ed guidelines from the NEA (National Education Association) and others? They are not mandatory; however, NEA tries to spin it as such. This graphic, explicit and inappropriate material is an attempt to normalize what most parents consider to be very immoral behaviors. This is a great interview that will give you a good summary of what children in America may be exposed to. [14 Feb 12, abstinence.net]
How Planned Parenthood Hooks Kids on Sex (WARNING: Graphic Material)
Warning: The video at link below contains graphic illustrations that are not suitable for children or teens. While the information the video contains is critical for parents and educators to know, viewers are strongly cautioned that some of the material is disturbing.
As Planned Parenthood kicks off National Condom Week tomorrow, it will also be actively engaged in selling sex to children as young as those in grade school with graphic videos and books.
The American Life League has compiled a video exposing some of Planned Parenthood’s disturbing materials that are presented to school-age children across the country.
“Any parent that sees the video of Planned Parenthood’s material for school children will be horrified,” said Jim Sedlak, vice president of the American Life League. “Planned Parenthood’s business model is aimed at making money from people who are engaged in sexual activity. Those are the women who will have abortions, which made up 51% of Planned Parenthood’s clinic revenue in 2010.”
In one section the video, “Hooking Kids on Sex,” talks about a book for 10-year-olds with graphic images about how to masturbate, put on a condom and have sexual intercourse.
“If a dirty old man showed this book to kids in a park, he’d be arrested,” said Sedlak. “Why does Planned Parenthood, a taxpayer-funded organization, get to distribute these books to our children and get more government money?’
The video also discusses Planned Parenthood of the Upper Hudson’s S.T.A.R.S (Seriously Talking About Responsible Sex), which required applicants to the program to be high school students and go to the sexually explicit Capital Pride.
“Planned Parenthood wants kids to choose it for their sexual education over their own parents,” said Sedlak. “It wants to be the trusted friend and advocate of kids of all ages. It knows that a conversation about sex with a stranger or browsing a Planned Parenthood website about teen sex is easier than talking with their parents. The abortion giant has no problem using tax dollars to exploit that fear and make money off those kids.”
Graphic video at link below…
[13Feb12, Kathleen Gilbert, STAFFORD, VA, http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/how-planned-parenthood-hooks-kids-on-sex-warning-graphic-material?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=ce641979ee-LifeSiteNews_com_US_Headlines_02_13_2012&utm_medium=email]
The Cost of the Sexual Revolution
The following article shows how sexual promiscuity results in increased teen pregnancy rates, abortion, health risks, and family breakdown.
This data comes from the United Kingdom, but all over the world we see the same effects.
Sex outside of marriage affects not only the people involved, but society as a whole, leading to economic consequences in addition to troubling moral deterioration. More effort should be placed on abstinence until marriage programs and marriage preparation. [www.abstinence.net]
Sexual Promiscuity Costing UK Billions of Pounds
A culture of sexual license and promiscuity in the UK is costing the taxpayer approximately £100 billion per year, according to findings by the Jubilee Centre.
In a paper entitled “Free sex: Who pays? Moral hazard and sexual ethics”, it’s argued that sex is widely seen as an activity which only affects the couple involved.
However, the report found that sexual freedom has significant costs which are “imposed on society as a whole”, representing “a moral hazard which threatens both our economy and our society.”
The paper warns of a culture which “implicitly views sexual freedom as a greater good than stability of relationship”, causing rising trends in abortion, teenage pregnancies and STI rates, all of which cost the taxpayer large sums of money.
“Our culture’s sexual freedom comes with massive costs attached, accounting for a significant proportion of public spending”, the report claims.
“These costs are met by so
ciety collectively rather than by the individuals most directly involved in causing them.”
Statistics
The paper, which can be found here, makes the following key observations:
Promiscuity has a direct financial cost as STIs are estimated to cost the NHS more than £1 billion per year. Diagnoses of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in England rose 74% cent between 1998 and 2009.
Teenage pregnancies cost the NHS £63 million per year.
The abortion rate continues to rise. The total number of abortions in England and Wales rose by 8% between 2000 and 2010.96% of abortions are paid for by the NHS, at a cost of £118 million per year.
Family breakdown, including divorce and separation, directly costs the taxpayer an average of £42 billion per year, most of which comes from the cost of tax credits, lone parent benefits, housing benefits and the health, crime and educational impact of relationship breakdown.
This sum, nearly £1,400 per year for every taxpayer, is equivalent to 6% of all public spending for 2011.
Comment
Peter Saunders, chief executive of the Christian Medical Fellowship, commented: “The Christian sexual ethic of faithfulness and stability has not only spiritual justification but offers a pragmatic answer to a failing culture that generally views Christian standards as hopelessly out of date.”
Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said: “As the UK has chosen secular humanism, including widespread sexual license, over Christian faith and morality, society has suffered greatly in a variety of ways. It is time for public policy to take into account the high cost of the so-called sexual revolution.”
Jubilee Centre: ‘Free sex: Who pays? Moral hazard and sexual ethics’
[31 Jan 2012, http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/social/sexual-promiscuity-costing-uk-billions-of-pounds; www.abstinence.net]
Abstinence is the Answer
A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control confirms what we already know – sex outside of marriage is not safe.
Abstinence is the only 100% effective way to prevent pregnancies and STDs and to avoid heartache and regret.
Contraceptives are not the answer.
Waiting until marriage, and finding a spouse who has also waited is the best situation for a healthy future.
Take a look at the following article to see just what a disservice to our youth we are doing by handing out condoms in schools.
[23Jan12, http://www.citizenlink.com/2012/01/23/report-reminds-us-sex-outside-of-marriage-is-never-safe/#.Tx4sXEH5Ex8.email ; www.abstinence.net, 25Jan12]
What's Wrong with Marriage in America?
The following links show record low numbers of Americans getting married. While the majority of Americans do state the desire to marry, numbers are on the decline.
Cohabitation and single-parent households are on the rise which shows a breakdown in the institution of marriage in our culture as compared with past generations.
These trends are something we will continue to monitor. A return to purity, valuing abstinence, and marriage preparation would certainly help.
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/2147/marriage-newly-weds-record-low ; posted 10 Jan 2012, www.abstinence.net]
Cohabitation is not Marriage
The following article looks at world-wide trends of the rise in cohabitation. Nobody wins in cohabiting relationships; children experience damaging effects and divorce rates are much higher.
The pattern of non-commitment goes from one relationship to the next. The solution, writes article author Fr. Flynn, is greater effort to protect and strengthen marriage.
[http://www.zenit.org/rssenglish-33928?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+zenit%2Fenglish+%28ZENIT+English%29 ; posted 10 Jan 2012, www.abstinence.net]
From Conflict to Communication
The following articles by Focus on the Family deal with conflict within marriage. All couples deal with issues and problems. Communication is key in resolving those issues and having a happy and healthy relationship.
Learning how to communicate thoughts and feelings and developing listening skills are important life lessons. We hope these tips will help; please share with others!
posted 10 Jan 2012, www.abstinence.net]
Two articles — http://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/communication_and_conflict/learning_to_communicate/talking_about_sensitive_issues.aspx and — http://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/divorce_and_infidelity/when_your_marriage_needs_help.aspx
The Best Environment: Study: A Home with a Mom and a Dad Improves Boys’ Behavior in School
Children do best when they have in-tact moms and dads in the home to raise them in a healthy environment.
This latest study shows how important this family situation is for boys. For the best opportunity for your children, we encourage marriage preparation, abstaining from sex until marriage, and ongoing education for parenting support.
[5 Jan 2012, http://www.citizenlink.com/2012/01/05/study-a-home-with-a-mom-and-a-dad-improves-boys%E2%80%99-behavior-in-school/?tr=y&auid=10104935 ; posted 10 Jan 2012, www.abstinence.net]
Resources for Parents
As a parent, it can be an overwhelming job to protect your children from the culture.
Chuck Colson of Breakpoint offers some great resources in young adult fiction books for your children. Most people don't live secluded from the world, and we know how difficult your job is as a parent.
Check "Youth Reads" at www.ColsonCenter.org
[http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/18449?spMailingID=2585348&spUserID=OTQ0MjMzOTc1S0&spJobID=36155429&spReportId=MzYxNTU0MjkS1 ; posted 10 Jan 2012, www.abstinence.net]
Modesty, Abstinence, & Courage Are the Most Important Behaviors to Instill
The job of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse is to arm young people to be street smart when someone wants t
o run over their values.
Their capacity to say "NO" will determine their capacity to say "Yes" to greater things. The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.
Love, like virtue, is its own reward. A person who loses their conscience has nothing left that is worth keeping. To stay out of hot water, keep a cool head. The actions of some young people today reveal that some parents embarked upon the sea of matrimony without a paddle. Charles Spurgeon said, "Learn to say the word NO. It will be more valuable to you than learning Latin."
When modesty is absent, virtue has no means of protection.
The danger with many young women is not that their aim is too high and they miss it, but that it's too low and they reach it.
It's not about finding the right guy, it's about being the right woman.
The Hollywood version of the 7th commandment is: Thou shalt not omit adultery. Lord Byron said, "The thorns I have are of the tree I planted."
There is a time when young people reach a fork in their road of life. The decision they make at this crucial moment will determine an entirely new course for their lives. The National Abstinence Clearinghouse is standing in the gap and teaching educators to raise the bar.
Everyone has the freedom to choose their actions, but they can't choose the consequences.
Why is abstinence the most important issue?
The consequences of promiscuity are the #1 cause of:
– abortion (55 million since 1973)
– single parenthood
– over 1/3of children are born out of wedlock
– divorce (50% of marriages end in divorce)
– improper bonding
– broken future relationships
– welfare (we've spent $12 TRILLION on welfare since the war on poverty began and we now have more poor than when we started)
– sexually transmitted disease (65 million young people have incurable STDs)
Add child molestation, sex trafficking, sexual addiction, and same-sex marriage, which are all related to an education system that does not transmit the time-tested values our nation was founded on. These are consequences of a culture that has abandoned the principles of liberty. In essence our culture has abandoned God. Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
If this sensitive issue is not talked about in school, in the home, or at church, where will they learn it? Knowledge is not inherited in their bloodstream. It must be deliberately taught and nurtured in the hearts and minds. Young people are bombarded by Hollywood, movies, and social networking to destroy any inhibitions they have at a time when their hormones are battling their emotions against reason and values. The job of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse fills a tremendous void in this culture.
The National Abstinence Clearinghouse receives no federal dollars. We survive only by donations of people who care about the future of this great nation. Every donation helps change lives. The National Abstinence Clearinghouse is teaching America's classrooms that our young people are our greatest resource. Our goal is to raise standards and to implore them to achieve excellence.
[21 Dec 11, National Abstinence Clearinghouse e-letter, abstinence.net]
Porn Use Makes Teen Girls Five Times More Likely to Have Group Sex: Study
One in 13 girls aged 14-to-20, or about 7.7 percent, who participated in a recent study from Boston University’s School of Public Health said they have engaged in “Multi-Person Sex” (MPS), reports the Daily Mail. Researchers believe imitation of pornography is a leading cause.
The study involved 328 girls from underprivileged areas of the city who had visited a neighborhood clinic for sexual health issues. However, economic status did not appear to be determinative of risky sexual behavior.
The study found more than half of the girls who had engaged in MPS had been coerced into having group sex by a boy or forced into a “gang rape,” and one-third of participants had used drugs or alcohol before the encounter. In 45 percent of MPS encounters, at least one male did not use a condom.
The average age when girls began having intercourse with multiple partners was 15.6.
Researchers said the use of pornography – by either partner – was a primary influence.
“Girls were five times more likely to engage in MPS if they or their boyfriends had watched porn,” said Emily Rothman, an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the university.
“Out of those who engaged in MPS, 50 percent did things their partners saw in porn first. Porn may be influencing the sexual behavior of these teens.”
The researchers findings give further credence to the conclusions of Canadian filmmaker Sharlene Azam, whose 2009 documentary Oral Sex is the New Goodnight Kiss documented girls as young as 11 going to sex parties and having intercourse with multiple partners. Azam attributed teenage hypersexual behavior to porn consumption.
Patrick A. Trueman, President of Morality in Media, told LifeSiteNews.com, “While the [Boston University] report is shocking, it is not altogether a surprise because…we know from scientific studies [pornography use] leads one to engage in the same activities that are viewed in the pornographic film.”
A 2005 survey found, “Unwanted porn found its way to 17% of 10- to 11-year-old boys, 16% of girls 10 to 11 years old.”
Trueman, the former Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Justice Department, said that pornography distorts an underdeveloped part of teenagers’ brains known as the pre-frontal cortex, which is “the home of good decision-making and reasoning.”
Scientists and psychologists have concluded this has a lifelong impact on growing boys and girls.
“While masturbating to porn, the adolescent brain is being shaped around a sexual experience that is isolating, visceral, and completely void of any love or compassion,” wrote Alexandra Katehakis of Psychology Today.
“This has the potential to lead to great problems in sexual compulsivity and sex addiction throughout the adolescent boy’s life, because his brain gets shaped to expect the ‘heroin-like’ porn dopamine rush from all of his real-life sexual experiences.” This expectation will lead the teen to “seek out riskier and more visceral experiences that resonate with his early porn use.”
A 2009 CyberSentinel poll claims 13-to-16 year-olds spend almost two hours a week viewing pornography. The average age a child is first exposed to internet pornography is 11.
According to Psy
chology Today, a 2010 study of 73 Swedish teenagers aged 14-20 revealed that teenage boys who viewed pornography accepted the notion that “women are there solely to satisfy the men’s needs…more or less uncritically.”
[21/22 Dec 11, Ben Johnson, BOSTON, http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/porn-use-makes-teen-girls-five-times-more-likely-to-have-group-sex-study?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a780b6b474-LifeSiteNews_com_US_Headlines12_22_2011&utm_medium=email]