貞潔教育 無效又有害

哈佛大學健康政策學程的洛森邦教授(Janet Rosenbaum)提醒，有82%的真愛立約學生五年後會否認曾立過誓約，88%的立約者仍有婚前性行為。（圖片出處：Blisstree）

前言：本文經編輯刪簡後，獲刊登於自由時報（2013.12.6）自由廣場，編輯下的標題為：「貞潔教育  貞而未必潔」。

我感謝自由廣場惠賜版面傳遞本文論點，但也擔心這個新標題會讓人誤會。因為研究證明貞潔教育接受者不會百分百「貞」，就算發生了性問題（性病、懷孕、婚前性行為）也不見得「不潔」。健康與性行為問題就讓他用健康與行為方式來被對待與處理，過多的「潔/污」色彩都有礙於解決問題。

我將投報版原文部分呈現如下，被刪節部分用紫色標註。另本文還有一份近五千字的完整全見版，投稿中，敬請期待。

*****

日前高雄市教育局發文，建議各校「不宜將貞愛立約承諾、守貞、拒絕婚前性行為及墮胎影片等宗教、信仰團體課程」納入性教育，引發貞潔教育團體抗議。

所謂貞潔教育，泛指以守貞為核心或唯一重點的性教育(abstinence-only sex education)，始於九○年代的美國基督教福音派。在台灣舉凡強調「婚前守貞、婚後守約」、「青春無悔」的教材，「彩虹媽媽」志工，以及日前於南投某國小舉辦宣誓典禮的「真愛守門員」課程，皆為貞潔教育宣揚者，已在台灣流傳十多年。

然而，過去三十年來已有許多嚴謹的國際實證研究指出：貞潔教育，無效！

美國小兒科醫學會基於近百篇研究成果，於2010年發表了〈性、避孕與媒體〉聲明：「當媒體已成為『非禁欲』資訊的重要來源，而『貞潔』性教育不斷被證實是無效時，推廣貞潔教育是不智的」。

除了醫學，我回顧二十餘篇公衛、社會心理學及青少年衛生的期刊論文後發現：貞潔教育無法降低青少年性活動的頻率，也不能降低性病感染和少女懷孕率。哈佛大學健康政策學程的洛森邦教授(Janet Rosenbaum)提醒，有82%的真愛立約學生五年後會否認曾立過誓約，88%的立約者仍有婚前性行為。

不僅無效，貞潔教育還會增加守貞者染病、懷孕的風險。

耶魯及哥倫比亞大學教授布克納和畢爾曼(Brückner and Bearman)追蹤一批曾在1995年接受性教育的中學生，五、六年後檢測其尿液樣本發現：受過貞潔教育的學生雖性伴侶較少，但是傾向用口、肛交取代陰道交，又因缺乏安全性知識，未具備事前協商、事後救濟的能力，所以感染性病或非預期懷孕的比例偏高。

上述研究有助我們看穿一個性教育政策的惡性循環：面對青少年性問題，貞潔教育人士總是強調「性病可怕、愛滋危機、墮胎殘忍、青少女懷孕悲慘」，以此獲得許多資助又佔據教育時數。然而因採用無效的貞潔教育，性問題未能改善。貞潔派又能再次訴諸性恐慌，吸引更多金錢與教育機會……不斷循環下去。

實證研究讓我們瞭解貞潔教育會造成惡性循環，也恰好還高雄市政府一個持來的正義。其甘冒信仰團體的壓力勇於拒絕貞潔教育，符合國際學界共識，成功地為學童把關。教育部應全面清查貞潔教育在全國各縣市施行的情況，委請學者評鑑其影響，俾使無效又有害的性教育早日下架回收。

參考文獻

▼   （小兒科）醫學

Rosenbaum, Janet Elise. 2009. “Patient Teenagers? A Comparison of the Sexual Behavior of Virginity Pledgers and Matched Nonpledgers.” Pediatrics 123(1):e110–e20. doi: 10.1542/peds.2008-0407.

The Council on Communications and Media, American Academy of Pediatrics. 2010. “Policy Statement—Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media.” Pediatrics 107(1):191. doi: 10.1542/peds.2010-1544.

Underhill, Kristen, Paul Montgomery and Don Operario. 2007. “Sexual Abstinence Only Programmes to Prevent Hiv Infection in High Income Countries: Systematic Review.” British Medical Journal 335:248–52. doi: 10.1136/bmj.39245.446586.BE.

Wong, Mee-Lian, Roy Kum-Wah Chan, Hiok-Hee Tan David Koh, Fong-Seng Lim, Shanta Emmanuel and George Bishop. 2009. “Premarital Sexual Intercourse among Adolescents in an Asian Country: Multilevel Ecological Factors.” Pediatrics 124(1):e44–e52. doi: 10.1542/peds.2008-2954.

▼   公共衛生

Hollander, D. 2006. “Many Teenagers Who Say They Have Taken a Virginity Pledge Retract That Statement after Having Intercourse.” Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 38(3):168. (http://www.apha.org/apha/PDFs/HIV/The_Waxman_Report.pdf).

Rosenbaum, Janet Elise. 2006. “Reborn a Virgin: Adolescents' Retracting of Virginity Pledges and Sexual Histories.” American Journal of Public Health 96(6):1098–103.

Santelli, John S., Laura Duberstein Lindberg, Finer Lawrence B and Susheela Singh. 2007. “Explain Recent Declines in Adolescent Pregnancy in the United States: The Contribution of Abstinence and Improved Contraceptive Use.” American Journal of Public Health 97(1):150–156.

▼   心理學

Walcott, Christy M., Tiffany Chenneville and Sarah Tarquini. 2011. “Relationship between Recall of Sex Education and College Students’ Sexual Attitudes and Behavior.” Psychology in the Schools 48(8):828–42.

▼   兒童發展與青少年健康

Bersamin, Melina M., Samantha Walker, Elizabeth D. Waiters, Deborah A. Fisher and Joel W. Grube. 2005. “Promising to Wait: Virginity Pledges and Adolescent Sexual Behavior.” Journal of Adolescent Health 36(5):428–36. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2004.09.016.

Brückner, Hannah and Peter Bearman. 2005. “After the Promise: The Std Consequences of Adolescent Virginity Pledges.” Journal of Adolescent Health 36(4):271–78.

Kirby, Douglas and B. A. Laris. 2009. “Effective Curriculum-Based Sex and STD/HIV Education Programs for Adolescents.” Child Development Perspectives 3(1):21–29.

Kohler, Pamela K., Lisa E. Manhart and William E. Lafferty. 2008. “Abstinence-Only and Comprehensive Sex Education and the Initiation of Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy.” Journal of Adolescent Health 42(4):344–51. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.08.026.

Lammers, Cristina, Marjorie Ireland, Michael Resnick and Robert Blum. 2000. “Influences on Adolescents’ Decision to Postpone Onset of Sexual Intercourse: A Survival Analysis of Virginity among Youths Aged 13 to 18 Years.” Journal of Adolescent Health 26(1):42–48.

Rector, RE and KA Johnson. 2005. “Adolescent Virginity Pledges, Condom Use, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases among Young Adults.” Paper presented at the National Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference of the Administration of Children and Families, June 14, Washington, DC.

Santelli, John, Mary A. Ott, Maureen Lyon, Jennifer Rogers, Daniel Summers and Rebecca Schleifer. 2006. “Abstinence and Abstinence-Only Education: A Review of U.S. Policies and Programs.” Journal of Adolescent Health 38(1):72–81.

▼   性學與性社會學

Bearman, Peter S. and Hannah Brückner. 2001. “Promising the Future: Virginity Pledges and First Intercourse.” American Journal of Sociology 106(4):859–912.

Kantor, Leslie M., John S. Santelli, Julien Teitler and Randall Balmer. 2008. “Abstinence-Only Policies and Programs: An Overview.” Sexuality Research & Social Policy 5(3):6–17.

Kirby, D. B. 2008. “The Impact of Abstinence and Comprehensive Sex and STD/HIV Education Programs on Adolescent Sexual Behavior.” Sexuality Research & Social Policy 5(3):18–27.

▼   法律與政策

Fine, Michelle and Sara I. McClelland. 2007. “The Politics of Teen Women's Sexuality: Public Policy and the Adolescant Female Body.” Emory Law Journal 56(4):993–1038.

Weiser, Dana A. and Monica K. Miller. 2010. “Barack Obama Vs Bristol Palin: Why the President’s Sex Education Policy Wins.” Contemporary Justice Review 13(4):411–24.

Trenholm, C., B. Devaney, K. Fortson, L. Quay, J. Wheeler and M. Clark. 2007. Impacts of Four Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Programs: Final Report. Trenton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research.

▼   聯合國或政府文件

Chang, Jeani, Laurie D. Elam-Evans, Cynthia J. Berg, Joy Herndon, Lisa Flowers, Kristi A. Seed and Carla J. Syverson. 2003. “Pregnancy-Related Mortality Surveillance—United States, 1991–1999.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) 52(SS02):1–8.

Committee on the Rights of the Child. 2003. “General Comment No. 3.”

Strauss, Lilo T., Joy Herndon, Jeani Chang, Wilda Y. Parker, Sonya V. Bowens, Suzanne B. Zane and Cynthia J. Berg. 2004. “Abortion Surveillance—United States, 2001.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) 53(SS09):1–32.

United States House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform-Minority Staff Special Investigation Division. 2004, “The Content of Federally Funded Abstinence-Only Education Programs”. Retrieved Nov 26, 2013 (http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20041201102153-52047.pdf)