Comprehensive Sexual Education

Comprehensive Sexual Education

In 2002, there were an estimated 750,000 unwanted teenage pregnancies and over 15,000 new cases of HIV among 15-21 year olds in the United States. Most of these cases occurred because the teens did not know how to use contraceptives and protection effectively when engaging in sexual behavior. The type of information a student receives from sexual education, if they receive any at all, can either prevent or accelerate the negative consequences of sexual activity. Comprehensive sexual education focuses on abstinence as the best method for avoiding pregnancies and STIs, but also teaches about condoms and contraception to avoid the risks of sexual activity. On the other hand, abstinence-only sexual education teaches abstinence as the only morally correct option for teenagers and usually censors information about contraception and condoms. This essay will present the reasons why comprehensive sexual education is a more persuasive argument including scientific studies that suggest comprehensive programs are more effective than the abstinence-only curriculum, acknowledging that young adults are going to engage in sexual activity regardless of if they are told to abstain, and the global impacts of sexual education. For these reasons, when examining both sides of the sexual education issue, it is clear that the arguments for comprehensive sexual education are much more persuasive than the arguments for abstinence-only education.

In a society that relies on scientific studies and analysis to support an argument, studies endorsing comprehensive sexual education are in integral part in the strength of this side of the issue. A report released by Advocates for Youth claimed that behavioral outcomes of comprehensive sexual education “have included delaying the initiation of sex as well as reducing the frequency of sex, the number of new partners, and the incidence of unprotected sex, and/or increasing the use of condoms and contraception among sexually active participants” (McKeon). The same report also states that sexual activity among teens declined considerably from 1991 to 1997, prior to the national funding of abstinence-only programs granted by Title V, Section 510 of the Social Security Act, but remained unchanged from 1999 to 2003 when these programs were running at full speed. A separate study done by Planned Parenthood claims that nearly half of high school students report that they want and need basic information on birth control, AIDS, and other STIs, and that many are denied access to the educational materials they seek, which clearly states the need for comprehensive sexual education programs. The arguments supporting comprehensive sexual education rely on inductive reasoning to prove their points, making the argument more credible, and therefore more persuasive.

On the other hand, the results of studies on abstinence-only programs have less than convincing numbers. A study done by Mathematica Policy Research Inc. found “no evidence that abstinence-only programs increased rates of sexual abstinence. In addition, students in the abstinence programs had a similar number of sexual partners as their peers… as well as similar age of first sex” (Policy Updates). This study followed up on eleven states that participated in the nationally funded abstinence only programs. Of the eleven states reviewed, only three of the programs (27%) resulted in increased attitudes towards abstinence in the short term and only one of the eleven states showed any indication of increased attitudes towards abstinence in the long term. A further dent in the effectiveness of abstinence-only programs is their reliance on religious and moral values to prove their points. Many religious conservatives tout abstinence-only education as being the only morally correct option for teenagers, often using evidence from The Bible to back their claims. This becomes an issue for students of different faiths, as well as gay and lesbian students who are told that abstinence is their only option because that is what God intended for them. The failed results of these studies combined with the religious undertones of abstinence-only education contribute towards damaging the credibility of the argument for abstinence-only sexual education.

The second topic presented in the sexual education issue is the ubiquity of teenage sexual behavior. Abstinence-only education focuses on the message that abstinence is the only option for young adults, often leaving out crucial medically accurate information regarding human sexuality. In an interview done by PBS featuring members of a small town debating the status of sexual education, a student addressed the need for information about sexuality. She stated that “this guy came to school and he said condoms don’t [sic] work, so I didn’t use one. But I was going to have sex anyway, so here I am with one, two, three STDs” (Abstinence-Only Sex Education). Another person interviewed in the same article quoted a study that found that 88% of teenagers who had taken an abstinence pledge admitted to having sex before marriage, and the that teens who contracted STIs were less likely to realize they had a disease. Based on these testimonies, the argument presented by the current abstinence-only education program was not persuasive enough to abstain from sexual activity.

Alternatively, support for comprehensive sexual education relies on the notion that young adults will eventually have sex at some point in their lives, whether it is at 15 or 22, and should be adequately prepared when they make the decision to do so. In an article from Planned Parenthood, a study by the Alan Guttmacher Institute quotes that “not only had more than nine out of 10 people had premarital sex, but the rate of premarital sex has been consistent for more than 50 years… Premarital sex is not only normal but nearly ubiquitous вЂ" and has been for decades” (Boerner). Such strong support for the idea that young adults will continue to have sex, regardless of abstinence pledges, damages the credibility of the abstinence-only programs and prove they do not have an impact on young adult’s decisions to engage in sexual behavior. The power behind such strong statements by students and researchers alike provides comprehensive sexual education with a persuasive advantage over abstinence-only programs.

The final topic of the sexual education debate is global implications of sexual education. The United States has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and births in the western industrialized world, with 31% of young women becoming pregnant at least once before they reach the age of 20 (General Stats and Facts). This alarming statistic is mainly due to