Sex Ed. Should Not Be Abstinence-Only

Sex Ed. Should Not Be Abstinence-Only

Currently we have schools teaching about abstinence and how it prevents pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. However, many of these sex education programs do not include or want to include teaching about contraception for the adolescents who are not abstinent. Arguing that including contraception education in the program will send the wrong message about sex or that we are giving teenagers and young adults the "okay" to have sex. Not providing education on contraception will put teenagers who are not abstinent at a greater risk for catching sexually transmitted diseases and becoming pregnant at an earlier age. It is why schools should have sex education that supports abstinence but also teaches about contraception and what teenagers can do in case they decide to be sexually active.

An abstinence-only program requires adults to teach teenagers and young adults that, "abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and other associated health problems" (Debra Haffner qtd. in Koch). Of course abstinence is the only certain way, however saying this gives teenagers the idea that contraception like condoms are not effective and are not worth using. These programs only give negative statistics about the failure of condoms. It is not what we want teenagers to think. We want them to practice safe sex.

Another form of contraception that teenagers and young adults need to be informed about is birth control (like the pill). There are many birth control choices and teens who are sexually active can make wise choices if the sex education programs provide them with information on where to obtain it. Giving teenagers information on contraception will not encourage them to have sex at an earlier age. A poll taken by the NPR/Kaiser/Kennedy School shows that most Americans agree, "(55 percent) believe that giving teens information about how to obtain and use condoms will not encourage them to have sexual intercourse earlier than they would have otherwise (39 percent say it would encourage them), and 77 percent think such information makes it more likely the teens will practice safe sex now or in the future, only 17 percent say it will not make it more likely" (1).

Teenagers need to be knowledgeable about sex because they are becoming sexually active at a much younger age. The percentage of girls who have had sex before age 15 jumped from 11 percent in 1988 to 19 percent in 1995. The number of boys who had sex before 15, meanwhile, remained at 21 percent. This shows that many young teens need to know how to be responsible when it comes to sex. They need to know the consequences and answers to the many questions they have. Abstinence-only sex education does not provide them with the information they need in case a teenager becomes pregnant or catches a sexually transmitted disease. The teenager may feel ashamed or unsure which can lead to him/her hiding the problem.

Since teenagers are becoming sexually active at a much younger age, they need to be aware of the many sexually transmitted diseases that exist. Diseases like gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, genital warts, and HIV/AIDS. It is for the students own well-being that they know the symptoms of this diseases, how it can be treated or cured, and how to protect themselves so that they do not catch them.

It is unrealistic to think that teenagers will not have sex if a sex education teacher talks only about abstinence and what it prevents. Many of these students have questions about sex and these abstinence-only programs do not allow teachers to answers any of the sex related questions they may have. Abstinence-only programs have too many restrictions on what can be taught in the classroom. Not being able to answer their questions leads to students being ignorant about sexual health. Simple, basic questions like the ones that two students asked in a Granite Bay, California classroom, "one student asked where his cervix was, and another inquired if she could become pregnant from oral sex" are left unanswered (Planned Parenthood, 1). This causes students to ask questions among their own peers, peers who do not know more than they do and provide them with the wrong information.

The State needs to stop funding abstinence-only programs they need to acknowledge the