One-Step Contraception—OK?

Pastors often tell me they seldom if ever counsel with couples planning marriage who have either not been living together or have never had sexual relationships or both. Virginity before marriage is almost an unknown phenomenon. WebMD Health News five years ago reported the same.

Dec. 20, 2006 -- Almost all Americans have sex before marrying, according to premarital sex research that shows such behavior is the norm in the U.S. and has been for the past 50 years.

The new study shows that by age 20, 75% of Americans have had premarital sex. That number rises to 95% by age 44.

Even among those who abstained from sex until 20 or beyond, 81% have had premarital sex by 44, the survey shows.

Premarital sex is  normal behavior for the vast majority of Americans. The study quoted was published in Public Health Reports and based upon six cycles of the National Survey of Family Growth from 1982 to 2008. 

Despite the opinion that many of us have, these surveys say that the number of Americans having premarital sex hasn't changed much since the 1940s. We are waiting longer to get married, however. So we Americans are sexually active and unmarried for longer than in the past. And only 2-3% of us between 25 and 44 have not had vaginal sex.

In the light of this research Lawrence Finer, director of domestic research at the Guttmacher Institute, questioned the government's funding of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs for 12-29 year olds. He said it would be more effective to provide young people with skills and information they need to be safe once they become sexually active. Continued research published by the Healthy Teen Network supports his conclusions. Well over $1 billion in federal funds have been spent for such programs teaching abstinence as the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and AIDS. However, federally funded programs have had little effect upon high school pregnancy. For instance,

• Analysis of data from Youth Risk Behavior surveys found that sexual activity among high school youth declined significantly from 1991 to 1997, prior to large-scale funding of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, but changed little from 1999 to 2003 with federal funding of such programs.

• The U.S. has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and STIs compared with other developed nations.

• In the Netherlands,Germany and France, adolescent sexual development is viewed as a normal, healthy biological, social, emotional and cultural process. Education focuses on making informed choices and on sexual responsibility.

These studies go on to point out that teen pregnancy is 9 times higher in the U.S. than in the Netherlands and the teen birth rate is about 5 times higher in the U.S. than in France. For these and related reasons the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that Plan B One-Step emergency contraception (levonorgestrel) be available for people under 17. It is already available for women under 17 with a prescription, and behind the counter, once age is verified, for those 17 and older. However, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not accept the recommendation. Opponents to the idea say that such a decision would expose girls and women to potential risks from taking high doses of a potent hormone, interfere with parents' ability to monitor their children and make it easier for men to prey on vulnerable minors.

I want to discuss these issues in upcoming posts in the light of Holy Scripture and welcome your input.