j----_. - New York Civil Liberties Union

Mahopac 099
it." Not talking about it' will almost surely put you at risk for
pregnancy, HIVor other STD.
Tell students that in the next few weeks they will spend a lot of
time talking about and practicing what to say and do to avoid
pregnancy or HIVand other STD. Abstaining, or not having sex,
is one way to keep from getting pregnant or getting a sexually
transmitted disease. Next, the class will look at some reasons not
to have sex:
Facts About Abstinence
l.Some people believe that "everyone" is having sex. But there are
strong personal, medical and relationship-building reasons for teenagers
not to have sex-that is, to abstain from sexual intercourse.
Many teens know that. Let's look at the statistics and see the
percentage of teens who are saying no to having sex.
(
~" )
2. Refer to the Facts About Abstinence statements on the board. For
each statement, ask the class for their estimates of the percentages
of teens not having sex before you fill in the blanks with the
correct figures. Tell students that these statistics are for teens in
large cities and were reported in 1987.
• At age 15, about __
Facts About Abstinence
% (82%) af all girls have not had sex.
• About % (40%) of males and % (60%) of females
under 17 report never having had sex.
• Only about __ % (10%) of teens who have sex use protection
correctly and consistently. (Even teens who have become
pregnant often fail to use protection after that.)
• About % (30%) of teens believe the right age to begin sex
is 18 or older.
",
C \ )
40
Reasons That Many Teens
Don't Have Sex
l.Tell students that, as they know, some young people do have sex.
Ask them to think about likely results of having sex. List their
results on the board, adding any important factors they miss. Students
may include some positive outcomes (e.g., "It's fun" or "It
makes us feel close") and these should be acknowledged as rea-
\. ~~~,'t'i::'
".
4 ,-:;. ' ~..
w
ff Á
i"