Sex Education (in America), The Abstinence Trap: Why Comprehensive Sex Education is Vital for Public Health

Sex education can be implemented as a positive alternative to pregnancy and abortion, but right-wing Christian conservatives seem to be sabotaging that practice. In most schools around the country, abstinence programs have been instituted where young adults take an abstinence pledge. This is all fine and good, but the success of these programs depends on the fact that children will actually follow their promise. The problem with abstinence programs or taking the virginity pledge is that it does not teach proper safe sex methods if one decides to break their promise.

Promoters of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs assume that not teaching kids about sex education will promote kids not having sex. This is like stating that not teaching college students about alcohol will inherently force them to abstain from the activity. The reality of the situation is that society can no longer afford to not give in-depth, well-rounded, vastly funded K-12 sex education programs.

"One-half of all new HIV infections occur among people ages 25 or less. One-quarter of all new HIV infections occur among people under age 21. The human papilloma virus—genital warts—is so common that experts believe three-quarters of all the sexually active people in the world have been infected with it. In the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth, 28 percent of all women reported having had an unintended birth, and one-fifth of those women reported the birth as unwanted." 1

 

"Perhaps nowhere is the need for reproductive health services more urgent than in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Every day, 6,800 people are newly infected, and about half are young people under the age of 25. Many know little about the disease and how the virus is transmitted. Young women are especially vulnerable and are more likely to be infected than young men. Reproductive health services that empower women and young people with life-saving information and skills will help prevent HIV from spreading and reduce further suffering and social and economic disruption." 2 

 Many U.S. teens consider themselves “virgins” even though they report performing oral as well as anal intercourse. The problem with abstinence sex education is that it makes kids believe condoms, birth control pills, injectable contraception, and implants are less effective than they really are. Children in these programs are taught the risks of using condoms, pointing out that they can break. The problem with these conjectures is that it ignores the fact that condoms are actually incredibly dependable and should (virtually) always be worn. Abstinence programs downplay contraceptives, acknowledging (and often exaggerating) their failure rates while censoring information about correct use and effectiveness.

It is unfair for society to expect young adults who are a decade past maturity to abstain from sex. The immorality of copulation outside of marriage is a belief and opinion that should not be projected upon others. Children need sex education:

"By age 18, about 71 percent of U.S. youth have had sexual intercourse. One recent study found that, by the age of 18, more than 75 percent of young people have engaged in various heavy petting behaviors. Another study found that 25 to 50 percent of teens report having had oral sex. A third study focusing exclusively on adolescent "virgins" (defined in the study as teens who had not experienced vaginal intercourse) found that nearly one-third of respondents reported having participated in masturbation with a partner. In the same study, 10 percent of teens who defined themselves as virgins had participated in oral intercourse and one percent had participated in anal intercourse. Data from a nationally representative survey indicate that, in 1999, 49.9 percent of all high school students have had sexual intercourse. The percentage rises by grade level—38.6 percent of ninth graders have had sexual intercourse compared with 64.9 percent of seniors. By the time young people reach age 20, about 80 percent of males and 76 percent of females have had sexual intercourse." 3

 

Our society does not acknowledge the reality of the world young people live in. Children’s attitudes towards sex are manipulated daily by radio, music, advertisements, movies, and television. Tag body spray promotes “Use our body spray and hot women will want to have sex with you.” Our entire society and its education system, not just sex education, is to blame for not putting such issues as personal sexuality and gender roles into context or providing education on the subject.

"Powerful social forces contribute to the early development of unhealthy sexual scripts - about who we are as males or females, how we should act, and issues of right and wrong. For example, the early learning of male gender roles, often linked with violence and the need to dominate, is fundamentally related to problems of rape and harassment. The manipulation of the sexuality of both males and females from an early age, and the stimulation of sexual desires by advertising and other media, are fundamental to the operation of our economic system. Adolescent childbearing, sexually transmitted diseases, and the spread of HIV are highly correlated with poverty and lack of hope for the future. Further, many problems attributed to teens are not just teen problems: the majority of all pregnancies in this country are unplanned. Truly comprehensive K-12 sexuality education, which at most exists in only 10 percent of schools nationwide, has hardly been tried. Sexuality education - of whatever kind - is neither the cause, nor the cure, for our nation's sexual malaise.

 

In a society where children's consciousness is permeated by virulent images of sex, where their sexuality is manipulated by advertising and the media, and where few adults provide helpful role models, we cannot expect sex education to perform a miracle. Curricula that provide as their primary or sole strategy admonitions against nonmarital intercourse are destined to be ineffective and, in fact, insult the real-life needs of children and youth. In a society that conveys complex, confusing messages about sexuality, only comprehensive sexuality education can begin to address the diverse needs of youth and promote healthy sexual development." 4 

1. Alford, Sue. “The Problems with Abstinence-only Sex Education.” Contemporary Issues Campaign: Teens & Sex. Immell, Myra H. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Greenhaven Press, Inc. 2002

2. “Population Issues Overview.” United Nations Population Fund. <http:>

3. Alford, Sue. “The Problems with Abstinence-only Sex Education.” Contemporary Issues Campaign: Teens & Sex. Immell, Myra H. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Greenhaven Press, Inc. 2002

4. “Educational Leadership.” 51.n3 (Nov 1993): p.p90(3). General OneFile (Academic Journal)

Thanks for reading! Please comment!

Other Related blog(s): Sociology of Love, Lyceum Recordz