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Program urges abstinence Fifth through eighth graders cautioned against pre-marital sex By JONEL ALECCIA The woman behind the STARS program aimed at urging Oregon teens to postpone sex is in Medford today with a new plan that emphasizes abstinence until marriage. Marion Howard, a professor at Emory University and director of a family-planning clinic in Atlanta, will unveil "Managing Pressures Before Marriage," a program for children in fifth through eighth grades. In Portland, Bend and now Medford, she's presenting a curriculum with a stricter message than the one offered by Oregon's STARS program - Students Today Aren't Ready for Sex. That plan, funded by the state since 1995, urges teens to delay sexual behavior until they're ready to cope with emotional, social and physical consequences. Public invited Marion Howard will outline "Managing Pressures Before Marriage" from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. today at the Job Council, 673 Market St., Medford. She'll speak to an audience of public health workers, school officials and others. The public is invited. Howard is the creator of the Postponing Sexual Involvement program at Emory University/Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. She is also director of a family-planning clinic and considered the nation's leading authority on abstinence education. But the new program is grounded in the theory that they won't be ready until they're married. And Howard, who created the curriculum on which STARS is based, isn't shy about its focus. "Basically, the message is that young people should avoid sexual contact outside of marriage," she said Wednesday. Howard's abstinence-only position has raised concerns among health workers who argue that reducing teen pregnancy depends on a comprehensive approach that includes more information and increased teen access to contraception. "None of the research has shown that abstinence-only programs are effective at delaying first intercourse," said Maggie Sullivan, education program coordinator for the local Planned Parenthood. Jane Stevenson, a Jackson County community health educator, contends that Howard's plan is being considered for Oregon schools solely to receive a portion of a $50 million federal appropriation to abstinence-based programs. "We wouldn't even be looking at this curriculum if it weren't for funding battles," she said. Further, Sullivan said she's concerned about urging teens to avoid sex outside of marriage when most adults don't. "One survey showed that 93 percent of men and 73 percent of women have had sexual intercourse before marriage," Sullivan said. "How in the world can we get on our soapbox? Are we saying, 'Do as I say, not as I do?' " And, in a society in which the average onset of puberty is 12 for girls and the average age of first marriage is 26, abstinence may be an unrealistic target, Sullivan said. Howard countered that it's important for adults to be clear about expected behavior. "It's not so much, 'Is it realistic?'" Howard said. "It's a goal. Our society has lots of goals for people that may not be attainable. But we recognize that it's in people's best interest to set those goals." In a sex-saturated society, where teens are bombarded with sexual images, abstinence-only is a difficult message to uphold, acknowledged Howard. "I used to feel pretty lonely," said the mother of two grown children, who created the Postponing Sexual Involvement Program in Atlanta. "At Emory, they used to call it 'Marion's Cold Shower Program.' " But her work as director of a family-planning agency has convinced her that young people need to hear the word "No," loud and clear. "The truth is, young people don't manage sexual behavior very well," she said. "They get repeated STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), they come back pregnant. When a kid has herpes and the rest of their life they're going to have painful sores, or they contract HIV, these kids are paying too high a price." STARS is credited in part with reducing Oregon's teen pregnancy rate by 17 percent in six years. It will continue to be offered in the schools along with the new curriculum, said Jon McDaid, a state teen pregnancy prevention specialist. It's part of Gov. John Kitzhaber's action agenda that includes multiple strategies to reduce teen pregnancy, he said. "There's everything from enhancing community values and norms to life skills, to contraception and male involvement efforts," McDaid said. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.