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?
Although not necessarily their objective, the argument above provides compelling evidence for why a comprehensive sexual education curriculum is best.
The authors cite a CDC study that concluded that “both abstinence and contraception contributed to the decline in teen pregnancy rates between 1991 and 2001,” with 53 percent of the decline in teen pregnancy rates attributed to abstinence and 47 percent to contraceptive use.
If both contraceptive use and abstinence are responsible for a decline in teen pregnancy rates, then what rationale would there be for teaching abstinence exclusively? Clearly comprehensive sex education is the best tool for keeping our kids healthy.
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