by Jessica Bloor

Rather than partaking in pleasurable activities, many people choose to abstain from such activities in an effort to enhance life. Abstinence has long been favored by major religions as a way to gain spiritual enlightenment.

Bahá'ís, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, and Muslims all abstain from various activities like eating, drinking alcohol, and sex during certain periods. These days, even people professing anti-religiosity often give something up for Lent. In seemingly-secular Europe, religious tradition still seems to be an intrinsic element in shaping our cultural psyche. In the U.S, however, religion and cultural practice is more blatantly linked.

Google 'sexual abstinence' and you are led to dozens of scare-monger sites promoting sexual abstinence groups. The U.S government even goes so far as to financially support 'Abstinence Education' initiatives. In 2003, the state of Pennsylvania allocated approximately $3.15 million to such programs. Similar programs are equally funded all over the U.S. Fair enough, you may say, if it reduces teen pregnancy rates and STD's. Nobody is against promoting responsibility. These type of programs, however, don't educate young people about contraception. Their specific goal is 'the prevention of out-of-wedlock births to teens through the promotion of sexual abstinence'.

Meddling and the promotion of religious ideological propaganda isn't reserved solely for American youth. In the 1990's, Uganda was a prominent African nation successfully battling the spread of HIV/AIDS by promoting sexually-candid HIV prevention messages. Unfortunately, this success story is being threatened by U.S-funded 'abstinence-only' programs. According to U.S officials, they promote the 'ABC' strategy (Abstinence, Be faithful, use Condoms). A recent report by Human Right's Watch, however, states that condoms are being left out of the equation. Information about condoms, safe sex and the risks of HIV in marriage has been removed from school curricula. Ugandan teachers told Human Rights Watch they had been instructed by U.S contractors not to discuss condoms in schools because the new policy is “abstinence only”. According to Jonathan Cohen, researcher with Human Rights Watch and author of the report “abstinence-only programs are a triumph of ideology over public health.”

The political has a history of enforcing the personal. Some activists have, however, made the personal the political by using abstinence as a powerful tool of non-violent resistance. British suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst fasted for women's rights. Mahatma Gandhi used fasting as a peaceful act when starving himself to highlight India's struggle for freedom from British colonialist oppression. These days hunger strikes are still a powerful means of political expression for refugees seeking asylum.

The concept of giving something up in order to gain is an interesting one, especially in a society focused on material gain. As long as abstinence is a personal choice in order to obtain a specific goal, it can be an enriching experience. But when an individual is encouraged or put under pressure to abstain from certain activities by outside influences, it becomes a sinister method of control.

artwork by cheet, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Average user rating

   (0 vote)