Today’s sex education and teen pregnancy prevention advocates claim that they stand ready with contraceptives and factual information to assist teens and preteens presumably possessed by the raging hormone monster.  The notion that their programs would somehow encourage sexual activity is laughable, they charge. 

But a series of videos for teens promoted through a teen pregnancy prevention program, G-CAPP (Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention), mocks the idea of abstinence.  The web page’s resources link [http://www.gcapp.org/resources/justForYouth.htm] encourages “youth” to “check out the Midwest Teen Sex Show—video podcasts about teen sexuality” that are intended to “provide sex information in a clear and entertaining way.”  The segment on “Abstinence” shows an actress playing the part of a girl beaten to the point of brain damage and slurring, “But I respect my body.” 

            These podcasts are introduced with a sign held by a gyrating, scantily clad nubile teenager in a farm field.  The porno-inspired intro ends with her on all fours with the sign in her mouth.           

            Such an intro gives a pretty good idea of the producers’ attitudes on “Abstinence.”  The reasons given for abstinence are: no sexually transmitted diseases, being more sexually desirable (which is presumed to be the sine qua non of teens’ existence), and no children.   “You don’t have to sit through boring Cub Scout meetings,” says the cool young female host before the very un-cool Cub Scout comes on.  

            The “cons,” however, far outweigh the “pros.” 

            First “con” is that abstinence is “really bo-ring!”  “Like all the cool kids are having sex and they’re gonna’ laugh at you if you’re not.”  This is when the beat-up brain-damaged girl comes on to illustrate the point.            

To the reason, “I’m saving myself for marriage,” the host comes back with, “It’s highly unrealistic you’ll be able to save yourself for marriage. . . . If you succeed, I feel bad for your spouse.  Sex takes practice.  You can’t just read a book to learn how to do it.”  

The two reasons given for not having sex are that you may not “be ready,” i.e., you may have “fears and questions” and that someone is “pressuring you into it.”  The green light is given to those whose “fears and questions” have been addressed (by these podcasts) and who have chosen partners, time, and place on their own.

              One of the sponsors of the series is a brand of condoms called “Abstinence.”  A commercial features a father coming into a teen daughter’s bedroom, seeming to be preparing to lecture her on abstaining from sex with her boyfriend.  She brushes him off.  He then hands her a pack of “Abstinence” condoms.  In what is the producers’ idea of father-daughter bonding, the girl smiles gratefully at him.

One segment claims to be educational, but “not like the porn your parents showed you.”  Really?  Parents show their children pornography?  (Well, if yours don’t, the message seems to be, most parents do.)

            The segment on masturbation promotes masturbation as a stress reliever: “Masturbation is the anti-drug,” says the host.

            To underscore the anti-family, anti-love, anti-parent message, a link is provided to a worksheet.  A column is provided where each participant, “Preteen/Teen” and “Parent,” can put in the age he or she thinks appropriate for such things as “Date,” “Undress in front of a boyfriend/girlfriend,” or “Have sexual intercourse.”  Continued...