Does Abstinence Make the Heart Grow Fonder?
Sound studies have been done which show that abstinence-only sex education — the kind that only says to “just say no” and doesn’t provide any other information — isn’t working, something many readers here hardly need us to prove to them. However, some of that problem may lie in the term itself, or in “abstinence” being presented for either the wrong reasons or not accounting for the myriad of reasons — not just because of one set of religious beliefs, as a means of preventing pregnancy, or through fear and shame — some people choose not to be sexually active. Plenty of people choose to abstain from sex or sexual partnership for periods of time even if they’ve been sexually active before and felt just fine about it, and even if they do know how to reduce their risks of pregnancy or STIs. Taking time away from sexual activity, or waiting to have a sexual partner can be very enjoyable, empowering and positive: it doesn’t have to be about shame, sin or because sex is thought to be dang
