ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH

Differing European/U.S. Approaches to Teen Sex Show Surprising Results

Safe Sex or No Sex vs. Just Say No—Which Works?

(Washington, D.C.) A U.S. fact-finding mission to explore international policies and practices on adolescent sexual behavior and health found that the European approach to teen sex, characterized by openness and the availability of contraceptive services and information, results in European teens initiating sexual intercourse later than U.S. teenagers.

The European Study Institute, sponsored by Advocates for Youth in collaboration with the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, found that the age of first intercourse in the Netherlands is 17.0 years, 16.2 in Germany, and 16.8 in France compared to 15.8 in the United States.

"It is ironic that the U.S. is the only industrialized nation to have an official government policy of no sex until marriage, yet our teenagers initiate sexual activity at an earlier age than their European counterparts," said James Wagoner, President of Advocates for Youth.

In late July 1998, U.S. experts in adolescent sexual health toured the Netherlands, Germany, and France for two weeks of intensive work with health ministers, sexuality educators, and teen health professionals. Participants explored how the countries' government policies affect adolescent sexual behavior and attitudes. The three countries were chosen as a result of their far lower rates of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV/AIDS, and abortion. The Institute included 42 participants, professionals and graduate students, as well as two teen journalists.

"Young people in the Netherlands, Germany, and France are taught and believe that they should have 'safe sex or no sex,'" Mr. Wagoner said. "Teens in the U.S. are told 'Just Say No.'"

Major differences between these countries and the U.S. include:

• Teen reproductive health is treated as a public health issue, not a political or religious one.
• Research drives public policy to reduce unintended pregnancies, abortion, and STDs.
• Adolescents have convenient, confidential access to contraception and sexual health information and services, which are usually free.
• Teens receive open, honest, consistent messages about sexuality from parents, grandparents, media, schools, and health care providers.
• The governments fund massive, consistent, and long-term public education campaigns that utilize TV, radio, billboards, discos, pharmacies, and clinics to deliver clear, explicit portrayals of responsible sexual behavior.
• Mass media is a partner, not a problem.

"Instead of encouraging sexual activity, the European openness results in safer and more responsible sexual behavior," Mr. Wagoner said. "The European message to teens is simple: respect and protect yourself and your partner."

By contrast, in the U.S., Congress is currently considering legislation that would require parental consent before teens could access contraception. Congress also passed legislation in late 1996 to fund education that promotes only abstinence for unmarried people. The legislation censors any information about the use of contraception for the effective prevention of pregnancy and STDs and appropriates $88 million a year in federal and state funds for the effort.

"Our teenagers—particularly African Americans and Hispanics—are suffering an AIDS and STD epidemic, while our government supports a gag rule on contraception and the effective prevention of HIV/AIDS," Mr. Wagoner said.

In the U.S., fierce opposition arises to accurate sexuality education in schools, contraceptive advertising in the media, and public education campaigns promoting condom use. Opponents here assert that these strategies encourage young people to have sex; yet, these are among the leading public health strategies in Europe, where young people experience far fewer pregnancies, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.

Advertising and programming in the entertainment media too often send sexual messages that say, "Just Do It," while Congress tells young people to "Just Say No Until Marriage." The impact of these unrealistic, contradictory messages can be seen in the extraordinarily high rates of teen pregnancies and STDs compared to those in Europe. Compare the U.S. teen birth rate of 55 per 1,000 teen women to Germany's 13 per 1,000, France's nine per 1,000, and the Netherlands' seven per 1,000. Further, rates of STDs, including HIV, are four to seven times lower in these European countries than in the U.S.

"So, what works? The answer is not one extreme or the other. We need both abstinence messages as well as contraceptive information and services available to our young people. The European experience, as well as several scientific studies, show that providing information to young people about sex does not cause them to have sex. Openness and honesty do not lead to promiscuity, they lead to responsibility and respect," Mr. Wagoner said.

Advocates for Youth will host a Capitol Hill Symposium January 26 to disseminate more information, including monographs sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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Note to Editors and Producers: For more information or to set up an interview with adolescent sexuality experts, please contact Bill Barker at (202) 419-3420.

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