Just Say No, Abstinence Education and the Problems with Zero-Tolerance Policies

Introduction

For my senior thesis at Hampshire College, I focused on prohibitionist drug policies in the United States and problems associated with such an atmosphere. In short, my conclusions were that our nation's drug policies have actually increased use of 'hard' drugs (namely heroin, cocaine, and amphetamines), are responsible for unprecedented rates of incarceration and drug overdoses, and have significantly contributed to the decay of civil liberties. The zero-tolerance atmosphere for drugs also accounts for a significant portion of new cases of HIV and hepatitis transmission. With the possible exception of incarceration, similar conclusions can be drawn with regards to abstinence education and our society's views on sexuality. 

As a policy that is philosophically identical to Mrs. Reagan's 'Just Say No' program, abstinence-only education practices are impractical and fail to address social issues like the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs, used interchangeably with STIs), potentially dangerous sexual behavior, and alternative sexual lifestyles. Abstinence-only education demands unrealistic expectations of adolescents because it ignores their own biological drives to have sex. These policies are purist in nature, and are frequently based in the context of fulfilling Judeo-Christian values. Moreover, abstinence-only programs frequently teach misguided information, exaggerate the dangers of responsible sexual behavior, and purposely ignore safe sex practices like proper condom use and so forth. In other words, 'Just Say No' policies, whether they are in the context of drugs, sexuality or any other issue, do little to address the concerns of the millions of people who may say 'yes.'

What is abstinence and what are the problems associated with abstinence-only education?