déjà vu.

[logicbunnies]

In the January issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (woot), there’s a new study from Janet Rosenbaum of Johns Hopkins University on the effects of virginity pledges on sexual behaviour.  What effects do virginity pledges have on sexual behaviour, one might wonder?  The answer, which would seem inherently logical to

Comments

this study made me lol in a bitter and self-righteous way

[mingerspice]

less likely to have masturbated in the last 18 months

I'm guessing that this was self-reported and that the fact is they were probably masturbating just as much (if not more) than other teenagers. We already know we can't rely on virginity pledges, why should we believe statistics on similar groups of people who tell us they don't masturbate?

Also, while I totes agree that abstinence only programs don't work, I'm not sure that this study is really adds that much weight to the argument against them, precisely because the authors controlled for attitudes towards sex. What the study shows is that taking the pledge doesn't work, not that abstinence only programs (not all of which involve the pledge) don't work (although I'm pretty sure there are other studies more directly showing that they don't).

[logicbunnies]

hm

[anonymous]

Super interesting post, Chels. Love!

Alexia