I've Got Rhythm

Back in the dark ages, I attended an all-girls Catholic college. Abstinence would have been the norm, but we didn't speak of s-e-x at all, so we couldn't discuss not having it.

On the other hand, whenever I read about the abstinence programs of today, I am reminded of an old joke from those days:

Question: What do you call a girl who uses the rhythm method?

Answer: Mommy.

For the heathens (i.e., non-Catholics) out there, the rhythm method was the preferred (and only) permissible contraceptive method sanctioned by the Catholic Church. Why? Because it didn't work.

This method (and joke), of course, came to mind again when I read about the news of the rise in the teen birth rate, First rise in U.S. teen births since '91:

In a troubling reversal, the nation's teen birth rate rose for the first time in 15 years, surprising government health officials and reviving the bitter debate about abstinence-only sex education.

The birth rate had been dropping since its peak in 1991, although the decline had slowed in recent years. On Wednesday, government statisticians said it rose 3 percent from 2005 to 2006.

The reason for the increase is not clear, and federal health officials said it might be a one-year statistical blip, not the beginning of a new upward trend.

However, some experts said they have been expecting a jump. They blamed it on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education that doesn't teach teens how to use condoms and other contraception.

Some key sexually transmitted disease rates have been rising, including syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. The rising teen pregnancy rate is part of the same phenomenon, said Dr. Carol Hogue, an Emory University professor of maternal and child health.

"It's not rocket science," she said.

I guess abstinence-only is the modern version of the rhythm method. Same method, same results. As Dr. Hogue said, it's not rocket science.

Tags: News, Sex Education, Religion