Abstinence

WASHINGTON -- An animated condom package leaps from a dresser drawer and shuffles its way across a darkened room, past a napping cat and onto a bed. As it squirms under the covers, a voice says "It would be nice if latex condoms were automatic. But since they're not, using them should be."The television advertisement was one of several unveiled yesterday, along with radio spots made by a rock star, as part of a new Clinton administration marketing campaign aimed at selling the idea of safe sex -- or abstinence -- to men and women aged 18 to 25.The ads, presented by the secretary of health, the White House national AIDS policy coordinator and the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at a news conference, represent a marked change from the subtle public service announcements about AIDS of past administrations.

CHOKWE, Mozambique -- In the dimly lit church made of mud brick and corrugated metal, the young people gathered here believe it is a given that safe sex is anything but safe. "From what I know, some condoms have got holes," said 23-year-old Zodwa Ubisse, rising from a wooden bench to address 20 of her peers. "I've tried taking some new ones, but water comes out, so they're not safe." "So abstinence is the key, isn't it?" summed up Nelda Nhantumbo, the 25-year-old student-teacher, drawing nods and murmurs of assent.

WASHINGTON -- An old-fashioned idea -- about sex, of all things -- is making a comeback in high schools and middle schools around the country.The idea: Students should be taught that it is wrong for them to have sex.Textbooks that promote abstinence and avoid how-to information about contraceptives have become increasingly popular in recent years, partly due to the growing involvement of conservative Christians on local school boards."

Without so much as a shred of the controversy their vote aroused last year, the Carroll school board yesterday unanimously approved five videotapes for use in sex education classes.The new videotapes all stress abstinence and say there is no such thing as "safe sex," except in a monogamous relationship with a non-infected partner.Approved for middle-school use are "AIDS/HIV: Answers for Young People (Second Edition)" and "Sex, Lies & the Truth."In high school, teachers may use "No Second Chance," the video touted by last year's critics of "Teen AIDS in Focus" as an alternative, and "KNOW HOW: A Video on Abstinence for Teens," featuring comedian Kim Coles and scenarios showing how teens can say no to peer pressure to have sex.Last year, loud opposition arose to a video that the Carroll County Health Department proposed using in schools.

One long afternoon in a high school gym somewhere, my friend Becky and I were talking about several surprise pregnancies among young unmarrieds we know and about how these calamities would be viewed by our much younger boys, when Becky said something profoundly sensible: "If you have sex often enough, somebody is bound to get pregnant." In other words, no matter what form of protection a couple chooses -- his, hers, both or none -- the odds favor pregnancy. As gloomy mathematician Jeff Goldblum predicts in the movie Jurassic Park, "Life will find a way."

ONE STORY completely missed by the media during President Bush's whirlwind tour of Africa is this surprising item: The HIV infection rate on the continent, while still a nightmare across most of sub-Saharan Africa, appears to be leveling off or declining in several key urban areas. The epidemic, in fact, may have turned a corner in Africa. But as Mr. Bush stormed through five countries in five days touting his just-approved $15 billion emergency AIDS bill for the continent, there was cause for big concern.

The gold and silver ring decorating 18-year-old Danielle Allen's left index finger is important to her and her future husband. The ring symbolizes her decision to remain a virgin until she marries.Her brother Derek, 16, wears a similar ring on a silver chain around his neck. And Kimberly Stuntz, 18, keeps hers in a special place, her jewelry box.During a "True Love Waits" service in early April at Gethsemane Baptist Church in Glenwood, the three teen-agers joined 35 others who pledged to God and in writing to abstain from sex until they marry.

WESTMINSTER -- Carroll County parents are objecting to a health education video in which teen-agers talk about how they got AIDS, saying it doesn't give enough emphasis to abstinence.Nearly 150 people attended a screening of "Teen AIDS in Focus" yesterday and filled out surveys about whether the school board should allow its use in ninth-grade health classes.Questions and comments they offered afterward indicated that most were not in favor of showing the film."Condoms and safe sex are mentioned 13 times," said Lorraine Taylor of Westminster, who counted.

WASHINGTON -- The Clinton administration opened the coffers Friday of a $250 million program designed to teach Americans that engaging in sex before marriage "is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects" and that abstinence from extramarital sex "is the expected standard" of human behavior.The initiative, required by the 1996 welfare reform bill and outlined for states by the Department of Health and Human Services on Friday, is expected to spur a nationwide rush to develop courses that teach abstinence.

In a decision that has alarmed many public health researchers and AIDS advocates, the Bush administration is increasing the amount of HIV money that must be used to promote abstinence, while at the same time limiting funds for condoms. Opponents see the move as the latest attempt by the White House and religious conservatives to expand what they view as an unscientific and ineffective HIV prevention strategy. Critics say the approach could cost lives in the developing world. "It's outrageous and stupid," said Duff Gillespie, a professor at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.