The Shortcomings Of Abstinence-Only, By Elizabeth Smart

The Very Personal Another perspective—a poignant one at that—about the shortcomings of Abstinence–Only comes from Elizabeth Smart, the young woman who made headlines after being abducted for nine months at age 14. At a Johns Hopkins University forum on human trafficking, Smart (who was raped repeatedly by her abductors) spoke out against the abstinence-only education she received as a child, suggesting that it deterred her from escaping her captors. She said that abstinence-only education makes rape victims feel “so dirty” and “so filthy.” In her school she was taught that “women who engage in pre-marital sex are like chewed pieces of gum that nobody wants to chew again.” Well, that’s terrible. No one should ever say that. But for me, I thought, ‘I’m that chewed-up piece of gum.’ Nobody re-chews a piece of gum. You throw it away. And that’s how easy it is to feel you no longer have worth. Your life no longer has value. As a result, Smart said that she had the feeling like “who would ever want me now? I’m worthless. I understand so easily … why someone wouldn’t run because of that alone,” said Smart. “Can you imagine turning around and going back into society where you’re no longer of value?” Smart emphasized that children should be taught that they will always have value
It seems that the rational is based upon a study which found a Heritage Keepers Abstinence-Only Curriculum delayed sexual activity for some students. After a year of the program, the percentage of students who reported to be “sexual experienced” increased from 29 to 33 percent. But that was better than the control group, where the numbers jumped from 29 to 43 percent. However it is worth noting that that the researchers neglected to explain the nature of said “sexual experience.” And what was not evaluated was at what age and in what marital status did the students, who had taken the class, become sexually