Still a Virgin? Come to Utah

I'm going to let everyone in on a little secret: sex is alive and well in the state of Utah. In fact, if I were a betting man (which, cough, cough, I'm not), I'd be willing to bet on as many as 50% of high-school teenagers here have had intercourse and as many as 70% have had oral sex. I have no factual evidence to back this up, but call it a hunch after living here for 20+ years. Of course, there are many reasons why teenage sex is so high here, but I will save you all the psycho-babble lectures on why, if you just accept the above premise.

Recently, the federal government gave $3 Million dollars to the Weber County School District to teach an abstinance-only cirriculum in their schools. The pregnancy rate in Weber County (which is about 25 miles north of Salt Lake City) is twice the rate of the national average. According to Gary House, director of the Weber-Morgan Health Department,

"Abstinence is best for the health and the future of the adolescents. We want
adolescents to understand the negative physical and emotional consequences of
premarital sex. We want them to understand the benefits of waiting, and we look
at this from a health perspective only.''

Gee, thanks for making that decision for me Gary. I'm so glad that I am not free-thinking person who can make my own decisions about the well-being of my children. We are so lucky to have you in such a prestigious position in our state.

Here's a semi-intellectual thought: instead of using that $3 Million on a program that has a probabilty of about .002% of being effective, why not use it effectively by:

-Implementing after school programs for teenagers. Yes, give them something to do other than have sex after school.

-Funding sexual educations programs at school. Let's face it, kids are going to have sex, just like their going to smoke. With that being the case, why not teach them how to do it safely, instead of irresponsibly.

-Helping single mothers and young families. People make mistakes. Instead of telling people they're SOL when they get pregnant, set up a fund for them that will assist them in their time of need.

Abstinance is not the answer. It never has been and never will be. Once you tell a teenager to not do something, they're going to go out and do the exact opposite.

Read More: Sex, Utah, Salt Lake Tribune, Frankly Speaking