Bristol Palin just launched a national campaign promoting abstinence among teens. You will remember that she is the teen daughter of Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, who ran for Vice President last year. During the presidential campaign, Bristol delivered a baby boy, even though she was not married to the baby’s father, Levi Johnston.
On Fox News last night, Bristol insisted, “Abstinence is the more difficult choice, but the safest choice.” Psychological and medical evidence clearly supports that statement. Bristol’s mother–Governor Sarah Palin–stated on Fox News, “It is less than ideal to be a teen with a baby.”
Both Bristol’s statement and her Governor mother’s statement are scientifically accurate. However, the father of Bristol’s baby–Levi Johnston–was quoted on television as contradicting Bristol. He said, “Abstinence is not realistic.” Now Levi’s statement is NOT clearly supported by scientific research because abstinence IS actually realistic for thousands of teenagers who indeed remain abstinent from sexual relations until they get married. Levi’s statement IS partially true for the many teenagers who chose to take the risks involved in sexual relations before marriage. It is a matter of choice.
One TV commentator agreed with Levi’s statement, “Abstinence is not realistic,” saying that sexual relations between teens is to be expected because “their raging hormones over-rules their thinking.” It is true that sexual hormones make teens much more interested in sex. However, human teenagers are not mere animals who mate when their hormones kick in. Instead, research shows that human teenagers–and indeed humans in general–are less influenced in their sexual behavior by hormones than mammals in the animal kingdom. Clearly, humans are more influenced by their higher brain power compared to animals when it comes to sexual behavior.
So scientifically speaking, the unwed teen mother, Bristol Palin, was correct to say, “Abstinence is the more difficult choice, but the safest choice.”
Abstinence is more difficult because there are many temptations to have sexual relations before marriage. Abstinence is more difficult when you love your boyfriend or girlfriend and when they want to have sex NOW. But abstinence is clearly the safest choice when you look at all the medical and psychological facts. With abstinence, you are safer from creating a pregnancy compared to using all different kind of contraceptives. With abstinence you are safer from contracting a sexually-transmitted disease, including AIDS, compared to having sex with contraceptives.
Many times in life, the safest and most desirable outcome is more difficult, but worth the extra effort.
What do you think? E-mail any comments or questions you might have about this story to: teensextoday@ProfessorGeorge.com or just write to me on my blog. If we post what you write, we will keep it anonymous. Count on me to be logical, ethical, and scientific in my answers.
P.S. I’ve been lecturing in five universities in Italy in recent months, so I have not been able to post blogs here for a while, but now I’m back home and writing again!
–Professor George
George A. Rekers, Ph.D., FAACP
Distinguished Professor of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science Emeritus
University of South Carolina School of Medicine
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