Sex Education in U.S.

Schools:
The Comprehensive Approach
BY: CHELSEA K. APPIAH

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The Contraceptive Approach . . . . . . . 3
The Abstinence Approach . . . . . . . . . . 4
We Have A Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Recommendation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Sex education is
important for the
future of our
students.

ABSTRACT
Education is the most powerful
form and weapon for social
change. The way we view our
bodies and sexual experiences
have changed tremendously
over time. However, the way our
schools teach sex education has,
unfortunately, not evolved.
DISTRICT MANDATED:

Most states have now left the

sexual education curriculum up
to each individual school district
to decide.1
As of Jan. 1, 2015:
22 states and D.C. require
public schools to teach sex
education
33 states and D.C. require
students to receive
HIV/Aids instruction.
19 states require that sex
education must be
medically, factually, and
technically accurate.2

1
2

See reference page.

See reference page.

When most college-aged

students recall their sex
education in high school, they
often mention that their
educator communicated a
message of contraception or
abstinence. However, are
these approaches effective?
PURPOSE OF THIS PAPER:

This white paper discusses these

approaches in further detail. It
also discusses the danger of
these approaches in our schools
to our children.
This paper will propose a new
approach to sex education titled
comprehensive sexuality
education. It will discuss what
this new approach entails and
how it can solve many of the
issues that exist in our current
approaches.
It will also discuss the
importance of encompassing a
variety of topics when discussing
sex with children and propose
the potential benefits of this
method.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Sex education is a life-long

journey, however, our students
must be provided with the best
resources to make the journey a
transformative one.
While some may not understand
importance of sex education, we
do understand the importance
of our bodies. We are sexual
beings and our bodies are most
important.
We need to communicate to our
children that they are in charge
of their bodies and how they
treat their bodies is very
important. In doing so, we must
be inclusive and encompass all
elements.

There is a lack of sexual

intelligence within our education
system, which could be the
primary source of many of these
issues. By reshaping our
approach to sex education,
health educators can change
their role in the lives in students.
Through looking at this new
approach, we will begin to
address this issue.

THE CONTRACEPTIVE
APPROACH
Contraceptive sex education teaches
students that sex is a risky activity yet
fails to include all the risks.
It is important to make clear that the
purpose of this premise is not to
discourage students to contraceptive
methods when engaging in sexual
activity. However, the issue of
contraception becomes problematic
when we begin to talk about the way
this approach is presented.
Contraception is presented as one of the
main preventative measures for sexually
transmitted infections and pregnancy.
Teaching students about contraception
is very important given that the rate of
STIs is high among young people in the
United States. Individuals aged 15-29
contract almost half of the nations 19
million STIs every year.3 Contraception is
seen as a preventative measure while
having sex, however, how come we do
not teach consent as another
preventative measure?
If a sex education programs purpose is
to provide preventative measures for
the risks of sex education, why do we
solely focus on the issue of not
contracting an infection or getting
pregnant?
3

See reference page.

The purpose of contraception, rather,

has been shaped around the idea of
reducing the risks of a risky activity.
However, it is very important that
educators communicate the
circumstances in which students are
making an informed decision about
having sex. This informed decision
involves providing information about all
preventative measures including
understanding and giving consent.
Consent is vital before even discussing
contraception such as birth control or
condoms.
Currently, 1 in 5 women in the United
States have reported having experienced
a sexual assault. 1 in 71 men have been
raped. Many of these rapes occurred
when men were younger than 11.
Almost half of female victims are raped
before they turn 18 years old.4
These statistics alone indicate that we
have a clear issue of consent in the U.S.
Teaching about condoms and birth
control alone will not solve this issue.
The purpose of teaching consent is not
to communicate that one can avoid
being raped or assaulted. It is to help
students understand that consent must
be given by both parties to have sex.
They must also understand the
circumstances were consent could be
compromised.

See reference page.

THE ABSTINENCE
APPROACH
Abstinence-only sex education
programs are extremely problematic
and ineffective for students.
Over the past decades, the federal
government has invested more than
$1.5 billion in state and federal
dollars since 1997 into abstinence
only programs. 5
These programs are ineffective and
problematic because they
communicate the idea that having
sex is not their choice. It also
communicates that if students chose
to have pre-marital sex, then it is a
reflection of their personal values.
Furthermore, it gives students the
idea that sex is risk that is not worth
taking until you are married.
A congressionally mandated study of
four abstinence-only programs found
that they were entirely ineffective.
Students who participated in the
program were no more likely to
abstain from sex than others.
This approach is also harmful because
it does not give students the
opportunity to ask questions in an
extremely reproductive and
5

See references.

exploratory stage of their lives. Thus,

it does not equip students with
information regarding sexually
transmitted infections, consent, birth
control, and many other elements of
sex education that is important for
students to know.
Furthermore, ultimately, sex
education provides students with
information about our bodies as
sexual beings. Thus, when denying
students this access, they are less
knowledgeable about their bodies
and how it functions sexually. It is
unethical to shame students to
engage in sexual behavior until they
are married. Students are less likely
to obtain a sense of bodily integrity
by doing so.

WE HAVE A
PROBLEM
Students need adequate
information about their bodies in
order to foster meaningful and
significant relationships.
In both of the approaches
discussed, there are significant
outliers that are important for our
students to know. However, those
are not the only ones.
Contraceptive and abstinence
approach only programs typically
use a heteronormative approach
to discussing, or not discussing,
sex. In doing so, we ignore
students of the LGBTQIA+
community.

A national survey found that a

mere 4% of LGBTQIA+ youth in
middle and high school report
having any positive discussion of
LGBTQIA+ or issues in their health
classes. This leaves students
underinformated about the
LGBTQIA+ community.
Furthermore, we need to provide
students with information about
relationship communication and
safety. While this is more
frequently covered than LGBTQIA+
sexual health, 1 in 5 teens report
some kind of abuse in a romantic
relationship. Teens who
experience dating violence are less
likely to use birth control and
engage in a wide variety of
behaviors.7

Heteronormativity alienates these

students out of the sex education
curriculum; this makes homosexual
behavior seem abnormal or
unworthy.
This is particularly dangerous for
students who are LGBTQIA+ who
are disproportionally affected by
negative sexual-health outcomes. 6
6

See reference page.

See reference page.

 Reduce frequency of sexual

activity
Reduce number of sex
partners
Increase condom and
contraceptive use

RECOMMENDATION
Comprehensive sexuality
education will provide students
with the resources necessary to
understanding the life-long
process of learning about sex.
Comprehensive sexuality
education approaches sex in an
inclusive and global perspective.
It allows students to ask
questions, learn about their
bodies, and understand the
choices the make about sex is a
choice of their own. It is explores
the possibility of different-sex
and same-sex relationships and
provides information about
consent, contraception,
abstinence, and relationship
safety.
Our youth needs comprehensive
sexuality education.
This approach to sex education
has proven to be effective in the
following areas:

Researches also found that teens

who received comprehensive sex
education were 50 percent less
likely to experience pregnancy
than those who have received
abstinence-only programs.8
This approach to sex education is
important because we must
foster a safe and inclusive
community for all students. By
discussing some topics and not
others, we are then creating a
hostile environment for our
students. Sexual health
education is very important for
the future of our youth. We
must help build sexually
intelligent and open-minded
students with bodily integrity for
the future of our communities.

Delay onset of sexual

activity
8

See reference page.

References
1) "State Policies on Sex Education in Schools." State Policies on Sex Education in Schools. NSCL,
n.d.Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
2) "State Policies on Sex Education in Schools." State Policies on Sex Education in Schools. NSCL,
n.d.Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
3) "Comprehensive Sex Education: Research and Results." Advocates for Youth. N.p., Sept. 2009.
Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
4) Rabin, Roni Caryn. "Nearly 1 in 5 Women in U.S. Survey Say They Have Been Sexually
Assaulted." The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 Dec. 2011. Web. 30 Nov.
2015.
5) Alford, Sue. "Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs: Ineffective, Unethical, and Poor Public
Health." Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs: Ineffective, Unethical, and Poor
Public Health. Advocates for Youth, June 2007. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
6) Slater, Hannah. "LGBT-Inclusive Sex Education Means Healthier Youth and Safer Schools."
American Progress. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
7) "Comprehensive Sex Education: Research and Results." Advocates for Youth. N.p., Sept. 2009.
Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
8) "Comprehensive Sex Education: Research and Results." Advocates for Youth. N.p., Sept. 2009.
Web. 30 Nov. 2015.