1.6 Advocating abstinence or contraception?

New campaign targets teens, promotes responsible sexBy Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 07 October 2007 0011 hrs
SINGAPORE: The number of teenagers contracting sexually-transmitted diseases has doubled in the past five years.

Teen abortions have also not gone down. The worrying situation is despite sexuality campaigns that encourage teens to say 'no' to sex. So some are calling for a change.

One group is advocating the message that if you're saying 'yes' to sex, do it responsibly. Bayer Healthcare and web portal Youth.SG say telling teenagers to abstain from sex is no longer realistic. They believe that what is needed now is to teach youth about responsible sex.

And that means, keeping the message of saying 'no' but at the same time, promoting the use of condoms and oral contraceptives. They hope to promote this message with the help of mascots.

But some feel that there is no side-stepping the issue, even when sex is still largely seen as a sensitive topic in Singapore. Associate Professor P C Wong, chief of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at the National University Hospital, said: "The statistics speak for themselves. Every year, as I said, 1,300 to 1,500 teenage abortions occur. The numbers have not dropped. And STDs (sexually-transmitted diseases) have gone up, more than double. So we have to sit up and pay attention to the statistics."

"The statistics are giving us a signal, that there's a lot of teenage sexuality out there, and we have to teach our teenagers to be sexually responsible," he added. Latest figures from the Ministry of Health put the number of teen abortions in 2005 at 1,279. And in 2005, 678 teens aged between 10 and 19 years sought help for sexually-transmitted diseases, compared to 256 in 2001.

Also, a recent survey showed that four in 10 sexually active women did not use any form of contraception. This is according to the Whisper Study, which was conducted between September 2003 and December 2004.

In a statement to Channel NewsAsia, the Singapore Planned Parenthood Association said it supports the campaign to encourage teens to be sexually responsible. It said this will promote comprehensive understanding of sexuality and reproductive health. It added that it will help the people identify their own values and make decisions.

But SPPA stressed that it does not discourage abstinence. Parents Channel NewsAsia spoke to, would rather teens say a complete 'no' to sex. "Even though they are taught to use condoms or whatever, it's better not to do it," said a Muslim woman.

"Contraceptives? At this age, if you ask them to use contraceptives, that means you're encouraging them (to have sex) by using condoms and contraceptives," said a Chinese woman.

Opening up a Pandora's box? This is what Bayer Healthcare and Youth.SG hope to achieve with their latest campaign. They hope the campaign will start a discussion on issues related to teenage pregnancies and sexually-transmitted diseases. They are working with the Republic Polytechnic to expand the programme.