This morning I came across some conversations on a discussion board that disturbed me. People were talking about how it’s pointless to be abstinent and that random sex is worth all the negative consequences. They were also talking about how abstinence research is not founded on factual information or scientific research and that the only things we have to back up our argument are personal anecdotes. Well, it got me thinking. First of all, isn’t personal experience the most accurate account of facts. I mean unless someone experiences something first hand, in the scientific world, can you really back it up to begin with? That’s what experiments are. First hand accounts recorded by scientists. That’s all history is. First hand or even second hand accounts written and recorded to teach others not to repeat the same mistakes. Now, I’m not agreeing with their argument. I have read much legitimate scientific information about the positive results of abstinence till marriage and the negative effects of multiple partners, but I’m strictly speaking from a philosophical standpoint today.

Here’s my thought. To avoid a negative consequence, you avoid the means to get there, right? So, if you don’t want to get hit by a truck, you don’t ride your bike out in front of one. So, if you don’t want to get an STD or you don’t want to get pregnant, you don’t have sex right? You gotta be with me at this point, this is elementary folks.

So, you say “I will wear a helmet when I ride my bike and it will protect me.” Yes it will to an extent. However, if you ride your bike into traffic and get hit by a car, it’s likely that you will still break at least one, if not all, the bones in your body. You survived, but was it really worth all the pain it put you through to ride out into traffic? Same thing with “safer sex.” Yes, you can wear a condom. The chances are high that it will prevent pregnancy, and protect you from most STD’s, but helmets crack, and condoms break and nobody does everything the right way every time.

Say you ride out into traffic and you don’t get hit. It would be quite a thrill. One you would likely want to repeat, because there’s a natural high achieved from cheating death. Well, say the next time you ride out into traffic you do get hit, but you didn’t put your helmet on just right, or oops you forgot to wear it at all. You’re dead. That’s it. There’s no turning back, game over. Your best friend, the one sitting on the side of the highway, the one who always told you that it was stupid to keep doing this, frantically dials 911 but there’s nothing she can do. Not only have you hurt yourself, but you’ve hurt those around you as well. If you would have just not ridden your bike into traffic you’d be alive.

All it takes is one time. It could be the first time, it could be the 150^th time, but just once to change everything. It only takes one time to contract AIDS, herpes, HPV, or even get pregnant. So, no matter how safe you are: the pill + condom + spermicide…helmet + knee pads + full body padding…you don’t know how fast the truck might hit you. So isn’t it the smartest thing to just stay off the highway until the traffic clears and you can cross safely to the other side where your best friend in the whole world is waiting for you?