Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

SEX EDUCATION: Abstinence ad sparks criticism

State ad refers to girls who get dumped as cheap

Sexually active teenage girls often are dumped by their boyfriends and wind up feeling "dirty and cheap," according to a new radio spot sponsored in part by the Nevada State Health Division.

The radio announcement is part of a federally funded abstinence education program through the health division. State officials stress that the agency has no official stance on abstinence-only education and that the radio ad does not reflect its opinions. They say they are required to use the federal grant to fund abstinence education.

"We have no stance one way or another on abstinence-only or abstinence-based education," said Judy Wright, chief of the bureau of family health services for the state health division. "We can do whatever we want with the federal dollars as long as they fund abstinence-only education."

But executives with Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union say the radio spot is one-sided and fails to provide teenagers with information to help protect themselves from disease. They also say it is harmful to describe girls who have sex out of wedlock as cheap and dirty.

"There's nothing wrong with encouraging teens to be abstinent, but the harshness of using 'dirty and cheap' is unhelpful, especially for adolescents who may already be feeling stigmatized," said Gary Peck, executive director of the ACLU of Nevada. "It suggests that people should feel that way."

Laura Deitsch, program manager for Planned Parenthood of Southern Nevada, said abstinence-only education is "dishonest and harmful." She said sex education needs to include information about abstinence, safer sex and responsible decision making.

"Keeping young people ignorant about sex hurts them," she said. "About half of all teenagers are sexually active. Nevada has a responsibility to provide them with the information, education and services to allow them to make more responsible decisions."

The radio ad features a girl speaking. The girl talks about her boyfriend and says he wants to have sex. She then says condoms won't protect her from all diseases and that virgins are less likely to commit suicide than sexually active teens. She says many of her friends lost their boyfriends after having sex and ended up "feeling dirty and cheap."

The ad is the first of three that will be rolled out over the next few months, said Jessica Cowee, the abstinence-only education coordinator for the state health division. Cowee wrote the spot.

"Another ad features a boy talking about his relationship with his girlfriend and how he's going to wait until he's married to have sex," she said. "He talks about the benefits of waiting and not having to worry about getting his girlfriend pregnant."

The $157,000 yearly grants also will fund television ads this year. The ads are expected to begin running in the next few months.

The grant monies also fund abstinence education programs in schools. Abstinence-only education programs focus on postponing sex until marriage and the health ramifications of sexual activity. The programs do not educate teens on the use of contraception or protection from sexually transmitted diseases.