What should public schools teach our children about sex? It can be a complex question, especially when dealing with morals, social norms, pop culture, hormones and health. When students sit down for their sex education, should teachers embrace an abstinence-only policy?
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Abstinence Education Works
- From Lifeway
By LifeWay Christian Resources - Biblical solutions for life
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Studies need better review, please avoid logical fallacies
"Since 1991, when federal abstinence funding began, births to 15- to 17-year-olds have dropped 43 percent" -- Can this drop be directly attributed to areas where abstinence education was used? Or was the drop seen universally? Many of the studies I've reviewed are deeply flawed: they introduce an enormous selection bias (those participating in the programs are already more likely to be abstinent). The studies cited here need to be reviewed to ensure the conclusions are statistically valid and scientific.
"The [CDC] study attributes the majority of the decline in teen pregnancy rates (53 percent) among 15- to 17-year-olds to abstinence and 47 percent to contraceptive use." -- This would suggest that eliminating contraceptive education would harm our goal of reducing teen pregnancy rates, since half of our gains come from contraceptive use.
"Even setting aside the physical risks, can a condom protect your heart?" -- The remainder of your argument is nothing more than an appeal to em
- Fastolfe July 24, 2008 10:58AM
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Side: No
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Understand what Comprehensive Sex-Ed and Abstinence Education Mean
I pulled this off of the Wikipedia article entitled "Adolescent Sexuality in the United States":
"When parents become aware of what abstinence education vs. comprehensive sex education actually teaches, support for abstinence programs jumps from 40% to 60%, while support for comprehensive programs drops from 50% to 30%. This sharp increase in support of abstinence education is seen across all political and economic groups. The majority of parents reject the so-called "comprehensive" sex education approach, which focuses on promoting and demonstrating contraceptive use. Sixty-six percent of parents think that the importance of the "wait to have sex" message ends up being lost when programs demonstrate and encourage the use of contraception."
The quote is from a poll report conducted by the National Abstinence Education Association.
The issue seems to be a debate between extremes. Neither abstinence only or "comprehensive" seem to be the answer.
- Benjamin Tuttle
July 28, 2008 6:24PM
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Abstinence
Both abstinence instruction and contraception "succeed" and fail. The data would indicate that both should be taught to reduce unmarried and unintended pregnancy. Yet having a child, even as a teenager, in itself is not wrong. It may require much additional effort, and when teens learn how difficult it is, especially when the father deserts the mother, they may wisely choose to avoid sex before marriage. Or they may choose contraception. What needs to be taught is that abstinence is better than contraception, not that contraception is good. Contraception just encourages more sex. One school required both boys and girls to carry around life-size baby dolls during class to give some idea of what it involves. Teaching what having babies as teenagers involves is a good idea. Taking human life in the womb is a bad means to an often well-intentioned end, and abortions increase with the use of contraception. Also, many teens resort to oral sex, thinking that it satisfies the partner without risking pregnancy. Such expressions of intimacy make later breakups much more difficult than if there had been less intimacy.
- goznes
September 4, 2008 7:16AM
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Side: Yes
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Only if 'no education' is the best education
Abstinence education doesn't work, plain and simple.The decision of whether or not to have sex is not for the government or society to make, it's up to the teenager and future adult: and most choose sex. Even after the unreasonable perfect situation of the Christian right--ie, abstinence until marriage--they will still need to use the information. Birth control, sexual diseases, and anatomy are just a few of the things even abstinent adults will need to know after marriage.
Let's not pretend that by not teaching children about sex, they'll never find out. Not long ago at all I was in elementary school and learning about sex at that young age! But the lack of sex education at that age made a very dangerous situation for students in which sex was thought to be something fun and naughty adults did, and nothing more. You see the problem?
Further, there's no need to press a message towards children in the classroom unless it's something that there's a wide concensus on, or it's agreeable, like 'dont bully' and 'be nice'. As for something parents are split on, let the parents teach the message to their kids, and keep their hands off of the children of other parents.
- Blue Linchpin
December 20, 2008 9:49AM
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