By Eric Tooley
Last week the Centers for Disease Control released new data on teen sex rates. This representative sample study of over fourteen thousand U.S high school teens is conducted every two years.
The 2017 results showed the following:
- 60.5% have never had sexual intercourse.
- 71.3% were not currently sexually active during the 3 months before the survey.
- 46.2% did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse.
- 13.8% did not use any method to prevent pregnancy during last sexual intercourse.
In 1996 I began to speak in public schools about saving sex for marriage. At that time:
- 46.9% have never had sexual intercourse.
- 62.1% were not currently sexually active during the 3 months before the survey.
- 52.8% did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse.
- 15.8% did not use any method to prevent pregnancy during last sexual intercourse.
This is an incredible improvement. The fact that the sexual rate is 26% lower now is especially notable.
We still have work to do. The same study revealed that among 2017 U.S. high school students:
- 11.3% of females were physically forced to have sexual intercourse.
- 15.2% of females were forced to do sexual things during the 12 months before the survey [counting such things as kissing, touching, or being physically forced to have sexual intercourse].
These numbers have not improved in the last ten years.
I remember high school principals laughing at me when I talked about speaking to their students about saving sex for marriage. They felt like the students would not listen and certainly would not change their behavior. My answer?
Students can make good choices when they are given good information.
Even now I still have this belief. That’s why we chose to name our non-profit organization, Noble Choices.
What about you? Have you given up on teens today?
They listen to people they know care about them.
Care enough to give them good information.
Care enough to believe they can make Noble Choices.
Care enough to try.
Kann, L., McManus, T., Harris, W., & et al. (2018). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance — United States, 2017. MMWR Surveill Summ, 1-114.
