Sex appears everywhere - on television, in major magazines, and in the dorms. Despite the pervasiveness of sexual activity, some students choose to remain abstinent.
The Webster's Online Medical Dictionary defines abstinence as the act of refraining from sexual intercourse. But for abstinent students, the word embodies more than casually avoiding a particular activity - for them, it is a conscious decision.
"It is definitely a choice," said one abstinent senior male, but "not a choice a lot of people are making."
According to a report in 1997 by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), 24 percent of women and 20 percent of men have not had sex by the age of 20. Whether or not these individuals made the conscious decision to abstain from sex was not determined.
Around campus, some students say they don't know anyone who is not either having sex or at least looking to have sex. "I don't know that many people who are abstinent - actually, I don't think I know anyone who is abstinent... at least not by choice," said one sophomore female.
But abstinent students do exist, though some believe that outside pressures can make their decision a hard one to keep. Freshman Jack Grimes, who is abstinent, believes that the media can affect a person's decision. "Abstinence is a hard commitment to make and it is not made any easier by our media," he said.
Abstinent students decide to refrain from sexual activity for various reasons. One senior male, a member of the Baha'i faith, said religious concerns guided his decision, though he said that safety is a concern as well. "[Abstinence] simplifies things. You don't have to worry about pregnancy," he said.
Other students, such as freshman Beth Birdsall, are influenced by their families. Birdsall's parents taught her that choosing to have sex is a serious decision, one she should consider carefully.
"It's not that I think that premarital sex is wrong, but [sex] is not something to do casually. It really changes your relationship and the way people see each other and relate to one another," she said.
Grimes decided to remain abstinent because he feels that sex will be more meaningful with the person he plans to spend the rest of his life with. Sex is "man's greatest gift - its potential is only fully realized when it exists within the promise between two people who share their lives together," Grimes said.
Abstinence can be defined in many ways; people draw distinctions between what and what does not constitute sex. Some consider oral sex to count as sexual intercourse while others disagree. Grimes and the senior male said that their definition of abstinence includes refraining from oral sex.
"Oral sex still creates that intimate bond between two people, so it still falls under sex," Grimes explained.
On the other hand, recent studies show that most teenagers do not define oral sex as sexual intercourse. A USA Today article (11/16/00) addresses this discrepancy, citing an online survey by Twist magazine of over 10,000 females. The survey found that while 80 percent of the female teens who participated considered themselves virgins, 25 percent had engaged in oral sex.
Aside from the technical definition of abstinence, social pressure can influence the decision to have sex. With three out of four women and four out of five men sexually active, some believe that sex is everywhere in today's world. "I sort of felt pressured to have sex in high school, and I wish hadn't done it at such a young age, but it didn't traumatize me. I wasn't necessarily ready for it, but I wouldn't say that I regret what I did," said the female sophomore.
Some abstinent students don't feel any pressure, from the media or anywhere else, to engage in sexual activity. "I wouldn't say I feel pressured," Birdsall said. "There is definitely a sexualized element in the media, but I don't feel it is pressuring me specifically."
The number of sex education programs focusing on abstinence has risen in past years, according to an article in The New York Times (12/15/99), which attributes this trend to legislation passed by Congress in 1996 allocating $440 million of state and federal money to abstinence-only education programs. Funding was again increased by $50 million in 1999.
The article states that more than one in three districts throughout the country teach abstinence-only curriculum and over the past ten years one-third of schools districts have increased its emphasis on abstinence in sex education and health programs. Other methods of contraceptives are discussed in these programs, and often draw attention to their risks and failures.
But this effort to encourage abstinence may be falling on deaf ears. The SIECUS study reported that nearly two-thirds of teenagers think that abstinence-only programs do not deter sexual activity among their peers.
Birdsall believes that abstinence should be taught as one of various lifestyle choices. Birdsall is more concerned that students are educated on how to protect themselves, whether by abstaining or using contraceptives. "I would rather [students] have the knowledge on how to protect themselves," she said.
