We live in a popular culture that seems to insist that sexual restraint of any kind, especially by teens, is impossible. Our teens are inundated by sexual music and imagery as well as the message that condoms will keep them safe. The idea that they are going to have sex is implied everywhere teens turn. Sex is everywhere: music, TV, videos, MTV, BET, books, billboards, everywhere. There is no escape.

Given the preponderance of sexual imagery, the dominance of the safe sex message, and teen's much publicized but assumed inability to control themselves, what percentage of teens would you expect to have been able to say no to intercourse? 10%, 15%? Certainly not more than 20% are virgins, have you not seen "Skins".

How about 68% of boys and 67% of girls aged 15 - 17 have never had sexual intercourse. This despite the overwhelming massage form the media that "everyone is doing it" and the best we can do is condom education. That's right, new data released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirm that the majority of teens are not having sex. 68% of 15 - 17 year old boys have not had sexual intercourse despite the fact that American popular culture calls their masculinity into question for "not having sex".  It seems that programs like “True Love Waits” are effectively fighting back.

According to the CDC, the overall sexual contact trends are also moving in the right direction with 53% of boys and 58% of girls reporting that they have never had oral, anal, or vaginal sex with anyone. This is a positive change from 2002 when only 46% of boys and 49% of girls reported no sexual contact. So in the face of a hookup culture that pushes safe sex and sex in general, many young teens are showing they can make healthy decisions and, get ready, I'm going to use the word, abstain. One must wonder what Charlie Sheen makes of this news; teens can control themselves, but he cant. Actually one must wonder what Hollywood makes of this news. I don't expect a response or even acknowledgment. They will continue to pump out sex laden teen targeted products.  “True Love Waits” is David fighting Goliath.

So what is the government doing? They must be rushing to keep this positive trend growing. Now that teens have shown they can say no to sex there must be thousands of programs being offered to keep this trend rolling. Nope. Barrack Obamma's administration cut ALL funding for abstinence education. Many programs that had peer reviewed studies that showed their effectiveness in reducing teen sexual behavior. They were cut because, as many condom advocates said, "abstinence is unrealistic".

If abstinence is unrealistic how it is that 68% of boys and 67% of girls have managed to say no. My point is that they are saying no in a culture that does not support them. What if the culture supported abstinence? What if the popular culture, the media teens consume, supported abstinence? What would happen to teen sexual activity rates if the federal government and MTV promoted sexual abstinence instead of condoms?