Just say No to Abstinence!
Goddess Bless Feminist Women’s Health Centers!! Cedar Rivers Clinic in Washington State just put out a new birth control comparison fact sheet and have eliminated abstinence as an option!! Instead, they offer “sex without risk.” A way to prevent unwanted pregnancy and still have sex! Finally, someone else is saying that abstinence is just not a practical method of birth control.
Of course, some of the sexual practices they describe still carry risk of STI transmission (although they do offer a few suggestions that don’t, like phone sex and masturbation). This is just the most exciting thing to happen to me all week. A respected organization that promotes reproductive health education is standing up and saying that we are sexual beings whether we have sex or not.
My favorite piece (from the poster not the website): Every woman has a human right to her sexuality.
Oh happy day!
Published July 10, 2008 . Filed under: Women's Health
Wow, I’m glad that someone finally decided to get with the times on this issue! Does that mean that business will pick up for us phone Mistresses?
Thanks for the info.
[...] begin reading this blog that asked us if we should elminate abstinence. It was a little funny to me because i couldnt [...]
Yes, abstinence should not be discussed as a safe sex option: it’s a NON-sex option. I am all for teens waiting to have sex, and abstinence is an option for some people (even folks who aren’t teens). But as a method of birth control or a safer-sex practice, it’s not an option. For those people (teenaged or older) who want to explore their sexuality, abstinence is not practical. Also, given the way abstinence is taught these days (by scaring young people with the dangers of sex, giving false information about how condoms don’t work, etc), it is downright dangerous. Not to mention that every study of abstinence-only curricula has shown that they do not help teenagers delay sex and often lead to no birth control or STI protection being used at all.
Cedar Rivers’ concept of Sex without Risk, is much more practical and promotes a much healthier vision of sexuality for anyone at any age.
Besides, I think this blogger seriously underestimates the satisfactions that can be derived from self-pleasuring and phone sex!