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ENGL
1010-401
Entering
the
Fray
Who
should
win
the
battle
of
Sexuality
Education
in
America?
There
are
two
major
positions
when
it
comes
to
the
teaching
of
sex
education
to
American
kids.
In
one
corner
we
have
those
who
advocate
for
comprehensive
sex
ed,
and
in
the
other
corner
those
who
advocate
teaching
abstinence
only
until
marriage
education, and you better believe they are
ready to duke it out to defend what they believe to be thee best prevention of teen pregnancy and
transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Christina F. Rickenback thinks that
abstinence only sex education sets a clear expectation and believes that kids need to be taught
that abstinence is the only truly effective form of birth control (Rickenback 349). Abstinence
only teaches no sex outside marriage. It does not address other forms of contraceptives or
protection STIs, nor does it clearly define sex. Patrick Malone and Monica Rodriguez argue
that young people need to be armed with the tools to protect themselves, and this includes
knowledge of contraceptions and safe sex practices taught by comprehensive sex ed (Malone
22).
Can
abstinence
only
education
really
be
an
effective
educational
tool?
Does
it
not
make
more
sense
to
actually
teach
when
we
are
calling
it
education?
It
would
seem
that
teaching
kids
to
ignore
their
sexual
feelings
and
just
wait
is
asking
for
trouble.
Abstinence only until marriage education focuses on the need to wait until marriage
before
becoming
sexually
active.
This
educational
approach
receives
support
from
the
government,
and
up
until
2009
was
the
only
federally
funded
form
of
Sexuality
education
(Stanger-Hall
1).
To
receive
funding
abstinence
only
programs
need
to
comply
with
the
A-H
guidelines.
Those
guidelines
state,
among
other
provisions,
that
you
must
teach
that
sexual
activity
outside
of
a
monogamous
marital
relationship
could
have
serious
harmful
physical
and
psychological
effects.
If
that
sexual
activity
results
in
a
child
there
may
be
harmful
consequences
for
the
parents,
child
and
society
(Malone).
This
is
the
true
belief
of
those
who
advocate
for
Abstinence
Only.
Some
also
argue
that
if
you
teach
about
contraceptives
and
safe
sex
practices
you
are
sending
mixed
messages
to
kids
(Stanger-Hall
1).
There
are
several
studies
showing
that
the
benefits
of
Abstinence
Only
education
are
really
seen
at
the
18
month
and
beyond
with
up
to
a
30%
difference
in
the
amount
of
teens
having
sex
after
receiving
an
abstinence
only
education
compare
to
students
that
had
comprehensive
sex
ed
(What
Works
Clearinghouse).
However,
even
advocates
for
this
type
education
will
admit
relatively
few
of
the
abstinence
only
sex
education
programs
have
been
properly
evaluated
.
Of the 46 curricula listed in the Abstinence Clearinghouse Directory of Abstinence
Resources, no published evaluations exist that examine the effects of any of them on sexual
behavior (Denny 414)
According
to
the
guidelines
for
Comprehensive
Sexuality
Education
from
the
Sexuality
Information
and
Education
Council
of
the
United
States
Comprehensive
school
based
sexuality
education
compliments
and
augments
the
sexuality
education
children
receive
from
their
families,
religious
and
community
groups,
and
health
care
professionals.
This
includes
not
only
teaching
about
abstinence,
but
also
contraception,
including
emergency
contraception,
and
reproductive
choice:
lesbian,
gay,
bisexual,
and
transgender.
Comprehensive
sex
education
should
be
science
based
and
medically
accurate
(Malone).
The
US
is
ranked
#1
among
highly
developed
nations
for
teen
pregnancy
rates
and
sexually
transmitted
diseases.
Other
counties
who
take
a
comprehensive
sex
education
view
on
education
have
a
significantly
lower
teen
pregnancy
rate.
We
can
also
see
a
large
difference
in
teen
pregnancy
and
STIs
between
states
that
teach
abstinence
only
and
those
who
teach
comprehensive.
If
we
look
at
the
numbers,
starting
with
states
that
take
an
abstinence
only
until
marriage
approach,
then
moving
to
states
that
teach
abstinence
in
relation
to
comprehensive,
then
finally
to
states
that
dont
mention
abstinence,
we
see
the
pregnancy
rates
declining.
The
more
abstinence
is
stressed
the
higher
the
pregnancy
rates
and
transmission
of
STIs(Malone).
Teens
who
take
virginity
pledges,
promoted
by
abstinence
only
until
marriage,
may
delay
the
first
time
that
they
have
sex,
but
most
do
not
make
it
until
marriage
and
are
less
likely
to
use
contraception.
Also,
teens
who
are
taught
abstinence
only
tend
to
participate
in
other
sexual
behaviors,
like
oral
and
anal
sex,
believing
that
because
there
is
no
vaginal
penetration
that
does
not
count.
They
are
also
less
likely
to
be
informed
about
the
symptoms
of
STIs,
so
the
put
off
treatment
(Epstein
348).
I think that we are foolish if we believe that by just telling kids not to do something
they
are
going
to
listen.
I
also
believe
that
when
we
teach
kids
abstinence
only
and
they
fail,
which
most
will,
they
will
feel
shame
about
themselves
because
they
have
been
taught
all
the
horrors
of
pre-marital
sex.
Sex
is
a
completely
natural
part
of
life
and
kids
need
to
know
the
responsible
way
to
handle
the
feelings
that
they
are
going
to
experience.
Do
I
wish
that
teens
would
wait
until
marriage,
or
to
be
older
if
they
choose
not
to
marry,
to
have
sex?
Yes.
Do
I
think
this
is
realistic?
NO.
American
needs
to
fix
this
problem.
Do
we
want
to
continue
to
have
children
that
feel
ashamed
of
themselves
for
natural
feelings
and
actions?
We
need
to
stop
teaching
shame,
and
start
teaching
responsibility.
Works cited
Epstein, Jane MSN, CPNP Does Abstinence-Only Education Put Adolescents at Risk?
MCN, The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing Issue: Volume
31(6), November/December 2006, p 348
Malone,
Patrick,
and
Monica
Rodriguez.
"Comprehensive
Sex
Education
vs.
Abstinence-
Only-Until-Marriage
Programs."
Human
Rights
2011:
5.
JSTOR
Journa
Rickenback, Christina F. MSN, APRN, CPNP. MCN, The American Journal of Maternal/Child
Nursing Issue: Volume 31(6), November/December 2006, p 349
Stanger-Hall,
Kathrin
F.,
and
David
W.
Hall.
"Abstinence-Only
Education
And
Teen
Pregnancy
Rates:
Why
We
Need
Comprehensive
Sex
Education
In
The
U.S."
Plos
ONE
6.10
(2011):