With more organizations promoting sexual abstinence, students will be hearing more messages on local radio and television stations.
Healthy Choices Abstinence Program, in collaboration with the Ohio Abstinence Campaign, has programs throughout the state of Ohio.
These programs, which are part of Pregnancy Decision Health Center, are designed to teach youths to refrain from sexual activity before marriage.
Commercials are running on WNCI, MTV, BET and The Learning Channel to get the message out.
The commercial’s pitch is save sex for marriage because “you’re worth it.”
“Our message is abstinence until marriage is the only healthy choice – the only 100 percent safe choice,” said Joyce Wilson, president of Pregnancy Decision Health Centers.
Though this message is mainly aimed at junior high and high school students, Wilson said she believes students at the college level should also hear it.
“Kids in college think they’re mature enough,” Wilson said. “But even through their college years, they’re not emotionally ready, and their lives become turned upside down because they’re not.”
Aside from the emotional aspects, Wilson reinforces that they are still not safe from sexually transmitted diseases.
Many people first lose their virginity in college and become sucked into the “everybody’s doing it so it can’t be that bad” campaign, but statistics prove this wrong, Wilson said.
“National statistics show that everyone’s not doing it,” she said. “At least 50 percent of young people are not doing it.”
The message is also targeted at parents.
Parents are targeted because many grew up in the sexual revolution, when “being responsible” was the promoted message.
“We’re trying to re-educate them so they can positively reinforce our message to their kids,” Wilson said.
Teaching young people about character, self-respect and self-worth are all part of the message.
“The only healthy sex is in a marriage relationship,” Wilson said, “Otherwise, they damage their bodies and themselves emotionally because they’re not ready.”
The organization stresses the only 100 percent effective safe sex is abstinence.
“Even if 100 percent of people used condoms correctly 100 percent of the time, STD’s cannot be prevented 100 percent,” Wilson said, “so there is no safe sex.”
As a result of the sexual revolution, an epidemic of STDs broke out, said Catherine Wood, abstinence director.
Their message stresses the need to protect one’s self.
“The definition of abstinence is no sexual activity until marriage,” Wood said. “The only healthy sex is in a marriage relationship.”
Though the message is clear and has a good purpose, some believe it is unrealistic.
“I think it’s a good message, but I don’t know how effective it will be,” said Crissy Garten, a senior in interactive communications. “I’m sure some people are abstinent but the majority aren’t and the focus should be on protecting themselves.”
