State to tone down abstinence ads

Jennifer Knight

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2003 | 10:54 a.m.

A radio ad that urged girls to abstain from becoming sexually active because it could kill them, make them "feel dirty" or make them more likely to attempt suicide has been pulled by the state Health Division, officials said Tuesday.

The 60-second radio ad began airing in August but was deemed inappropriate for the 9- to 14-year-old age group the state agency was targeting, said Martha Framsted, Health Division spokeswoman.

"We're wanting to make sure with those abstinence-based (public service announcements) that the language is targeted specifically to our audience," Framsted said.

The announcement features a young female talking about how her boyfriend wants to "show me he loves me by having sex." The girl goes on to talk about how sexually active girls are three times as likely to commit suicide, how "so many of my friends had sex then lost their boyfriends and they are left feeling dirty." The ad ends with information on how sexually transmitted diseases can kill.

Gary Peck, executive director of the Nevada American Civil Liberties Union, said the ad was more than inappropriate.

"The rhetoric is harsh and unhelpful," Peck said. "If they are going to take another shot at it, I would hope they would eliminate that sort of language. These are not messages that are designed to build up teenagers' self esteem, they instead tear it down."

The Health Division already has a new announcement set for release on Sept. 26. No more references will be made to suicide, feeling dirty or to STD's killing someone, Framsted said.

"It will be the same type of message about waiting, and the message will be you can wait until you're married," Framsted said. "It's going to be much simpler, which for that age group is more appropriate."