Rendering: If Abstinence Applied to Things Other Than Sex

Image sourced from: http://www.wanderings.net/notebook/Main/IfDriversEducationWereTaughtLikeSexEducation

This comic addresses the fact of how many people, myself included, were taught when it came to sex ed. According to the logic of the teacher in the comic above, since seatbelts and airbags don't always work in preventing injury, the best way to be safe is to not drive. This logic seems quite irrational, as it rules out the option of using common sense like "use your seatbelt and follow the rules when driving to ensure your safety." Sure, this still doesn't stop someone else from driving recklessly and causing harm to you on the road. Should we just stay locked up indoors then? Should we live our lives in fear?

Since I will eventually be a teacher in the Catholic school board, I'd like to address things from a Catholic point of view. First of all, I believe that abstinence could be both a bad thing and a good thing, depending on the context. If students have absolutely no understanding of sex ed and are simply told that "sex is bad, don't do it", they would obviously be more curious as to why it is bad, and this will lead to them finding out things on their own, usually in dangerous ways. However, if students are educated on what sex means, that it is a sacred act reserved solely for marriage between man and wife, and are then told to abstain from premarital sex because it will ruin God's plan for your life and can put you in danger, spiritually and emotionally, then students will understand the full meaning of abstinence. It's not so much that "sex is bad"...this could not be farther from the truth. As Catholics, it is believed that sex and sexuality are gifts from God, however, it must not be misused or else it can hurt many people. There is an appropriate time and place for sex, and it is only made available in the sacrament of marriage, between man and wife.

So in the right context (i.e. marriage), there are no restrictions on sex. It wouldn't make sense to abstain from sex once a couple is married. Similarly, according to the comic, drivers who do not know the rules of the road should 100% abstain from driving because it can put their life and the lives of others in danger! However, if a student who has undergone extensive training and genuinely wants to drive, follows all the rules associated with safe driving and has their license, it wouldn't make sense to abstain from driving.

Therefore, I believe that students should be fully educated on sex, in a safe, non-explicit way that supports the teachings of the Catholic church, that would help them to understand why it can be helpful to abstain from sex until one is married. It is then up to the students to follow the teachings of the church, or disregard their faith and engage in sexual activity at their own risk (which can be compared to the two guys at the end of the comic who want to go drag racing. Before being fully licensed drivers and completing their driver's ed course, this can be dangerous and bring harm upon themselves and pedestrians around them. They must abstain from driving until they have the necessary credentials to drive safely).