Thinking About Abstinence

It might seem like “everyone is doing it,” but studies show that over half of all high school students are virgins, more than 80% want one partner for life, and over 60% of teens who have had sex wish they had waited. Combining statistics with interviews of five young people from a wide range of backgrounds, Thinking About Abstinence aims to open up a dialogue about a controversial subject. Each teen shares his or her reasons for not having sex—some use the term “abstinence,” while others reject the word as “just a label” and say they are simply being selective or want to avoid the many negative consequences of early sexual activity—while also discussing the connection between intimacy and sex, the physical and emotional costs of sex, and the struggles to resist both peer pressure and the heavy media glamorization of sex. Although the participants talk about positively changing one's sexual behavior and setting boundaries, this is not so much a hard-hitting argument for abstinence as it is a peer discussion-starter that will help demystify a lot of the confusion surrounding teen sex. Recommended. Aud: J, H, P. (E. Gieschen)