Troubled Teen Tuesday

Some people seem to think that abstinence-focused sex education is somehow behind the times, or even dangerous. The only thing I have to say to that is, besides the weight of history, scientific research backs us up every time.

We didn’t know until recently that the brain area that is responsible for making rational, thought-out decisions, the area that considers the pros and cons and consequences of decisions, is immature in teens. The circuits aren’t complete; the wiring is unfinished. Sex educators insist that, like adults, teens are capable of making responsible decisions, they just lack information about sexuality and access to contraceptives. So the way to fight sexually transmitted infections and teen pregnancies, these authorities argue, is to provide teens with information and contraceptives, and teach them skills like how to say “no” and how to put on a condom. But current neuropsychological research does not support this stance. We know now that teens’ poor decisions are likely due not to lack of information, but to lack of judgement. And there is only one thing that will bring that: time.

Really? We didn't know that teens are immature and incapable of responsibly handling their sexual urges? You'd have to have come of age in the 1960s and 1970s to be that naive.

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