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A Lesson Plan from Life Planning Education: A Youth Development Program

Teaching Abstinence as a Part of Comprehensive Sex Education: What Is Abstinence?

Purpose: Participants will define abstinence and identify skills to make sexual abstinence work.

Planning Notes: Abstinence is the only 100 percent effective method for avoiding unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. Teens—especially young teens—should be encouraged to delay sexual initiation.  Educators should acknowledge the importance of abstinence and provide youth with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to make abstinence work.  Educators should also plan lessons to discuss other areas of reproductive and sexual health, including contraceptive technology. Even youth who pledge to remain abstinent need information about contraception and condoms to help them prevent unintended pregnancy, HIV and other STIs when they do become sexually active.  Research indicates that information about contraception does not increase sexual activity nor hasten the onset of sexual initiation in teens.

Materials: Newsprint and markers, or chalk and board.

Time: 50 minutes

Procedure:

1. Introduce the activity by pointing out that failure to make good decisions about sex is one of the reasons teens can become infected with HIV, other STDs and/or experience an unplanned pregnancy. Explain that one decision teens can make about sex is to not have it—to abstain until they are older.
2. Pin up two different newsprint sheets with the word "Abstinence" written on each one.
3. Ask teens to define abstinence. Write their responses on one of the newsprint sheets. If the youth do not make the following points, make them yourself:
   1. Abstinence is a deliberate decision to avoid something. People choose to abstain from many different things, such as sweets, meat, candy, tobacco products, voting, alcohol and/or other drugs, and/or sexual activities.
   2. People choose to abstain for many different reasons, such as health (avoiding sweets or fat), personal religious beliefs (avoiding meat, alcohol), commitment to a cause or person (abstaining from voting and/or participating in some behaviors), fear (of punishment, of negative consequences), and disinterest.
   3. People define sexual abstinence in many different ways. For one person, it may mean no physical contact with potential partners—no kissing, no holding hands. For another, it may mean abstaining from one particular behavior, such as avoiding vaginal intercourse. For the purpose of this exercise, abstinence should mean having no sexual intercourse: vaginal, oral, and/or anal.
4. Split the class into four groups give the groups 15 minutes to list and discuss at least ten reasons why teens might decide to not have sex.
5. Once the groups have completed their list, ask them to share the reasons they have listed with the rest of the class. Record the reasons on a master list using the second newsprint sheet. Teens should have identified some of the following, if not add them to the list:
   1. Religious beliefs, personal beliefs, not ready for sex, want to wait until married, want to wait until out of high school, risk of pregnancy, risk of STIs, don't want to jeopardize goals, relationship with parents, not in love, peer pressure, not interested .
6. Ask the class to discuss the reasons listed.  Ask the teens to evaluate if each reason is a "good" or "bad" reason in their opinion to choose abstinence. Validate that people have different reasons for choosing abstinence and that each should be valued and respected.
7. Explain to the group that abstinence is only 100 percent effective if used consistently and correctly. Ask teens what they think you mean by that statement.
8. Conclude with the following discussion:
   1. Given what we learned today, do you think that there are some good reasons to choose abstinence from sexual intercourse?
   2. Is it difficult to stick to the decision not to have sex?  What are some things people can do to help themselves follow through with that decision?
   3. What can you do to help your friends if they choose to be abstinent?

Adapted from Life Planning Education, a comprehensive sex education curriculum.  Washington, DC: Advocates for Youth, 2007.