Prepare to be shocke…

Prepare to be shocked. Or not.

GOVERNMENT attempts to reduce high-risk sexual behaviour among teenagers have had exactly the opposite effect, according to a new study.

Academics at Nottingham University are reported to have found that expanding contraceptive services and providing the morning-after pill free to teenagers have encouraged sexual behaviour rather than reducing it.

They discovered that sexual activity and sexually transmitted diseases have risen fastest in those areas where the Government’s policy has been most actively pursued.

This goes completely contrary to claims by advocates for handing out contraceptives, which only follows because those ideas go entirely against common sense. If you remove the consequences of a particular behavior, in doing so you give tacit approval regardless of what you say. The kids are watching your deeds more that listening to your words.

Critics said that the findings exploded the official line that the best way to tackle rising teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) was by making contraception more easily available.

But they didn’t consider the consequences of making contraception more easily available. Liberal advocates don’t do that very well, and sure enough in England things have turned out 180 degrees away from the intent.

Robert Whelan, of the independent think-tank Civitas, said: “The method which the Government’s teenage pregnancy strategy relies upon is almost guaranteed to produce these results. They have always promoted condom use, but have never contemplated the possibility of teaching young people abstinence.”

Abstinence has become a bogeyman of the left. In this latest example, they wouldn’t even bring it up as a possible solution for teens. Nope, just hand out condoms and cross your fingers. And that wishful thinking is hurting teens:

By making the morning-after pill free to teenagers, the Government had masked real levels of sexual activity among teenagers, he said. Because the pill causes early abortions, some conceptions are never counted in the teenage pregnancy figures. “The morning-after pill may cut pregnancies, but it won’t do anything to decrease STIs. That is why the STI rate is now a much more reliable indicator of sexual activity among young people.”

Abstinence is still 100% effective when tried, with a 0% chance of infection.

Anne Weyman, chief executive of the Family Planning Association, said: “The evidence is that in areas other than London, teenage pregnancy rates have fallen by between eight and 15 per cent since 1998.

“The awareness of sexually transmitted infections is quite low among young people. In the last few years, increased screening has been introduced, particularly aimed at young women, and of course, if you start looking for more infections you will find them.”

Ms. Weyman would like us to avert our eyes from the bad news. And she doesn’t even really address the problem mentioned. The problem was an increase in “high-risk sexual behavior”, not just pregnancies. Reduce the former first, then the latter will diminish. But her solution, more contraception, only tackles the “high-risk” part of the equation. Just as problematic in the teen pregnancy issue is the “sexual behavior” side of it. The more sexual behavior, the more potential for the high risk. Thus we have a domino effect: reducing sexual behavior reduces high-risk sexual behavior which reduces teen pregnancy. The problem is, family-planning groups who want to deal with this situation are working from the middle of the chain instead of at its beginning.

And don’t tell me, “Kids are going to have sex anyway, might as well make it safe.” Would you willingly replace “have sex” with “smoke” or “take drugs” just as flippantly, and tacitly approve of those behaviors, too?

“…of course, if you start looking for more infections you will find them.” I wonder, Ms. Weyman, how hard are you looking for more pregnancies when you cite rates outside of London? Considering how upside-down your advocacy is given common sense and the numbers here, I have a feeling you don’t want to know the real situation.

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