...Failure of Abstinence-Only Programs Sex education is important, but many students finish sex education classes with a distorted view of sexuality and without a good understanding of contraception and safe-sex practices. Instead, children only learn that they should not have sex until they are married. Abstinence-only programs in public schools have become popular because of a law giving millions of dollars to schools that teach the programs. These programs have the good intention of persuading young people to wait until marriage before having sex, but abstinence-only programs are not achieving this goal and are flawed by the distorted and biased perspective that they promote. In 1996, the United States government passed a law giving funding to states that offered abstinence-only programs in public schools. Since this time, over half of a billion dollars has been given to states to promote abstinence-only programs (Brody). To receive the money, schools must agree to follow a set of rules. The rules indicate that a school’s abstinence-only program must have "as its exclusive purpose teaching the social, psychological, and health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity" ("Impacts"). Students must be taught that they are likely to suffer harmful effects if they have sex before marriage. They also must be taught that the "expected standard" is for school-age children not to engage in sexual activity and for adults to engage in sexual relations only within...
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...Public Schools (Bleakly, Hennesy, & Fishbein, 2006). Around 8.5 thousand American teens become pregnant each year with over 9 million teenagers experiencing a sexually transmitted infection (Klein & Committee on Adolescence, 2005). By the time most American teenagers complete high school at age 18, 70% of females and 62% of males have experienced intercourse. While sex education might ideally take place in the home, these numbers suggest that sexuality is either not being discussed at all or is not being addressed adequately. Comprehensive sexual education, which includes abstinence and birth control methods, is considered a fundamental human right for American public school students. Current abstinence-only programs are unacceptable and should be replaced with more accurate and inclusive information immediately. For decades, the United States government has spent billions of dollars on an abstinence-only sexual education programs (SIECUS, 2004). This curriculum inhibited teachers from teaching birth control methods or even answering direct questions about how these methods worked. Research has identified several highly effective sex education programs that have cut down on HIV and pregnancy rates in the children they have reached (American Foundation for AIDS Research, 2005). Despite findings like these, none of these programs are eligible for federal funding because they teach young people about the health benefits of condoms and other contraception methods. Schools continue...
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...not to have sex before you’re married. The irony is about maybe half of those students have already had sex before and your gym teacher is only teaching you this because the school gets more funding if he does. This key flaw is letting faith-based organizations have a hand in teaching you one of your basic human rights of youth. Abstinence-only sexual education is inefficient and morally flawed due to its aim to promote one specific set of social values, and the group most affected by this is the youth. A bit of background on the origin of these abstinence only programs. In 1981,...
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...principles implementing political theory. Today, sexual education is obligatory publicly faculties in twenty two of fifty states within the U.S. as a result of very little advancement created within the administration of sexual education schemes, voters of the U.S. have unnoted a deeper underlying issue – which is, at what stage in adolescence is it necessary and most helpful for this difficult, life-long learning method to begin? Additionally due partially to the slow progress these programs have revamped time, some oldsters have even neglected to the touch upon the difficulty entirely. What’s a lot of, these continued failures to be proactive have junction rectifier to the misuse of a number of society’s most outstanding resources. Non-“abstinence-only-until-marriage” sexual education in establishments of education, bolstered by doctors, parents, and/or guardians within the stages preceding pubescence, is crucial as a method of combating rising rates of teenaged pregnancies and STDs. It isn’t uncommon for folks to feel that they're...
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...Jonathan Stokes 1 Jonathan Stokes English 155 Instructor Caramess May 18, 2012 Comprehensive Sex Education vrs. Single Sex Education There have been many debates and changes made throughout history on the subject of Sex Education in school. Now a day's there are many forms of sex education. Two main forms of sex education being debated on are Comprehensive and single sex. Dates of when sex education was first taught in school date back as early as the 1830’s. However sex education didn't really get noticed or take a dramatic affect in scholls till the 1900's. In 1913, Chicago became the first major city to implement sex ed for high schools. During the 1920's school finally began adding sex education to their curriculums. "To prevent the immense evils of self-pollution, therefore, in our boys and students ... They should always subsist on a plain, simple, unstimulating, vegetable, and water diet; and care should be taken that they do not eat too fast, and are not excessive, in quantity. They should never be kept too long a time in a sitting, confined, or inactive Jonathan Stokes 2 posture. They should never sleep on feathers." —Sylvester Graham, Lectures on Chastity (Cornblatt 1) (1834) Upon further investigation into my topic i have found several key dates and facts. one fact was that during the 1930's the U.S. Office of Education started publishing articles and training teachers. also during the 40's and 50's colleges began adding courses on Human...
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...Abstinence-Only vs. Comprehensive Sex Education Which is the Right Choice? Allysa Lekas English 401 Professor Kramer December 11, 2012 Abstinence-Only vs. Comprehensive Sex Education The appropriate type of sex education that should be taught in United States public schools continues to be a major topic of debate, which is motivated by high teen pregnancy and birth rates in the United States compared to other countries. This debate is centered on whether abstinence-only or comprehensive sex education should be taught in public schools. Some argue that sex education, that covers safe sexual practices, such as condom use, sends a mixed message to students, and actually promotes sexual activity. The United States government used to promote abstinence-only initiatives through the Adolescents Family Life Act. It cost 176 million dollars annually to fund abstinence-only programs. The central message of these programs was to delay sexual activity until marriage, and cannot include information about contraception and condoms (Stranger-Hall & Hall, 2011). It has been proven that abstinence-only education does not have an effect on the birth rates in the United States, but comprehensive sex education has. Teaching students to not only about abstinence, but about contraceptive use and information about sexually transmitted diseases, has decreased the birth rates in the United States as well as the contraction rate of sexually transmitted diseases. Comprehensive sex education...
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...but not taught the truth about sex. Sex is a natural biological urge that no piece of paper makes a difference about. What should be different, is how teens are taught about sex. In 1996, the United States government passed a law giving funding to states that offered abstinence-only sex education programs in public schools. Since this time, over half of a billion dollars has been given to states to promote abstinence-only programs. (Brody) After a study of four of the schools with abstinence only programs showed, that teens who had participated in the class were no more likely to hold off on having sex, engaging in oral sex, lower the amount of sexual partners or avoiding sex completely than, a teen that did not attend the class at all. (Trenholm) Comprehensive sexual education programs have helped the rate of sexual transmitted diseases, (STD Surveillance) number of unwanted pregnancies and or abortions decline. Sex education also has been shown to reduce the possibility of sexual violence. (Gorden) Comprehensive sexual education programs promote knowledge about prevention, knowing the symptoms of STDs and where to get tested. In 2009, two years after the study of abstinence only programs and start of implementing more sex education, the gonorrhea rates dropped to their lowest numbers since the national reporting began in 1974. (STD Surveillance) Unfortunately, there is no regulation on how STD prevention is taught in schools. States such as Indiana...
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... [Albert Einstein, "Religion and Science", New York Times Magazine, 9 November 1930] In 2000 my first and second grade children arrived home from school with a surprising question for me. I was asked what “69” meant. My response was “the number after 68 and before 70”. That was not the correct answer to the specific question they were asking, yet they were too naive to know any different. I did not feel they were at the appropriate age for a response to that question, but it meant it was time for a small bit of conversation regarding sexual education. Sexual education is opposed by some for religious beliefs, infringement of parental rights, and parental fears of a higher level of sexual promiscuity. Those opposed typically promote abstinence programs, (which have failed our society). Regardless what age a child is, sexual education is a very important topic and I feel it is crucial to start educating about sex now; in the schools; rather than wait for the latter possible unplanned STD, pregnancy, or even the unfortunate act of molestation. Since the beginning of time biblically, our society has been taught to wait to have sex until marriage. God has told us this in the Bible through many verses. This would be great in a society that was simple minded and lacking opinions. Today this is not the case. Our televisions, radios, magazines, internet, and peer pressures all promote some type of sexual propaganda. It even travels through our school hallways and buses as well...
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...III 12 February 2014 Outline I. Introduction A. Sexual education and abstinence programs seem to be taught nationwide, causing most parents to believe that this affects their children’s decisions regarding sexual activity; however, these programs have not had statistically significant impacts on the rate of sexual abstinence. II. Statics A. Schools 1. 39% of female and 45% of male high school students have had sexual intercourse. 2. Half of the students don’t really pay attention because they’re already having intercourse. 3. No significant changes since Abstinence-only programs started III. Federal Funding 1. 1981, more than 1 billion spent on these programs 2. Some of the funds that are given aren’t correctly monitored 3. 1996 as a welfare reform 4. Spend on programs that haven’t been effectively working for a while IV. Teen pregnancies A. Not mature 1. Not ready to take care of baby 2. Drop out of school 3. Won’t have successful career 4. Too busy with baby if they go to college B. Love & sex 1. Teens don’t take in consideration what consequences are 2. Express feelings in a different way 3. Peer pressure C. Statistics 1. 58% of pregnancies end in abortion 2. Rate of pregnancies is 61.9 out of every 1,000 women 3. Teen rate is 96 out of every 1,000 women V. Abstinence-only vs. Comprehensive sex A. Not working 1. Abstinence only is not consistent 2. Not teaching right way 3. Influence on such early...
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...the Texas Tribune, put his chin in his hand and asked Gov. Rick Perry: "Governor, why does Texas continue with abstinence education programs when they don't seem to be working? In fact, we have the third-highest teen pregnancy rate in the country, among all the states." "Abstinence works," Perry replied, his arms folded and resting on the table be-tween them. Smith tried again – the point of the question, he said, was that abstinence education, by the stats, doesn't exactly seem to be working. It does work, Perry replied; it's the "best form ... to teach our children," he said. "Can you give me a statistic suggesting it works?" Smith asked. I Heart Pants abstinence website "I'm sorry, I'm just going to tell you ... from my own personal life, abstinence works," said Perry, increasingly agitated. "If the point is ... we're going to stand up here and say, 'Y'all go have sex and have the whatever is going on ... and here's the ways to have safe sex' – I'm sorry; call me old-fashioned if you want, but that's not what I'm going to stand up in front of the people in the state of Texas and say, 'That's the way we need to go, and forget about abstinence.'" Of course, neither Smith nor anyone else was asking the governor to "forget about abstinence," but the truth, say advocates for adolescent health, including doctors and educators, is that teaching "abstinence only" has not worked to reduce the high rates of teen pregnancy and births in Texas despite the tens of millions in funding...
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...Brown, S. (1997). Sex Education and Abstinence Programs: Why Don't W More? Children and youth services review, 19 (5 -6), 4 55-463. Cavazos-Rehg, P. A., Krauss, M. J., Spitznagel, E. L., Iguchi, M., Schootman, L., . . . Bierut, L. J. (2012). Associations Between Sexuality Educatio Schools and Adolescent Birthrates: A State-Level Longitudinal Mo Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 166 (2), 134. Constantine, N. A. (2008). Converging evidence leaves policy behind: Sex in the United States. Journal of Adolescent Health, 42 (4), 324 -326. Daley, D. (1997). Exclusive purpose: abstinence-only proponents create f entitlement in welfare reform. SIECUS report, 25(4), 3. Eisenberg, M. E., Bernat, D. H., Bearinger, L. H., & Resnick, M. D. (2008). Su comprehensive sexuality education: Perspectives from parents of youth. Jou rnal of Adolescent Health, 42 (4), 352 -359. Hogben, M., Chesson, H., & Aral, S. (2010). Sexuality education policies an transmitted disease rates in the United States of America. Internat journal of STD & AIDS, 21 (4), 293 -297. Irvine, J. M. (2004). Talk about sex: The battles over sex education in the Un Univ of California Pr. Kirby, D., & Scales, P. (1981). An analysis of state guidelines for sex educa instruction in public schools. Family relations , 229-237. Kirby, D. B. (2008). The impact of abstinence and comprehensive sex and education programs on adolescent sexual behavior. Sexuality Rese Social Policy...
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...Sex education in the United States is a controversial subject. There are many forms of sex education but the two basic forms are abstinence-only and comprehensive. Abstinence-only sex education teaches students to abstain from sex until marriage. Comprehensive sex education provides students with knowledge about the human body both male and female, knowledge about pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, how these diseases are transmitted and how to prevent them, when to get tested for diseases and the symptoms of these diseases to know if you are infected by one. Comprehensive sex education does not encourage adolescents to have sex but it does acknowledge the potential for them to participate in the act. Literature Review In “Abstinence-Only...
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...Analogy Paper Martin (1997) defines physical analogies as, “…a movement, activity or exercise to which people connect their real life experience” (p. 210). Physical analogies offer a vehicle by which individuals could ascertain clarity about ideas and concepts (Martin, 1997). Analogies in problem-solving take two different scenarios which, at first-hand, seem unrelated, compare them, and provide a solution that can be applied to both problems (Martin, 1997). Employee theft. Employee theft involves the illegal activity of employees taking up company property for their own use (Paulsell, 2007). According to Stettner (2010), economic recessions and employee theft are directly linked. Stettner (2010) asserts, “In recessions, individuals in dire straits tend to commit crimes against their employers that they might never consider in economic booms. Concern over dishonest employees is increasing every year, especially in the retail industry.” Stettner (2010) offers various alternatives to address employee theft: 1. Maintain close accountability of employees who handle cash. 2. Introduce various measures such as: electronic surveillance and regular audits. 3. Educate employees about the importance of these measures. Teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy denotes pregnancies that are conceived and held by young women before the age of twenty ("United States: Growing pains; teenage pregnancies," 2009). The research shows that teenage pregnancy has been...
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...Why Sexual Education Should Be Taught In Public Schools In today’s society where children are exposed to sex through various media outlets, the need for sexual education in public schools is necessary. Instead of abstinence-only education, which teaches refraining from sexual activity until marriage, today’s youth needs to be informed about the various aspects of sexuality including pregnancy, contraception, STDs, and abstinence. According to a survey conducted by National Public Radio, The Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, ninety percent of American parents believe that comprehensive sexual education should be taught in public schools to students in grades 7 through 12. This type of education encourages abstinence, but also teaches proper condom use and other contraceptive methods to protect youth from unwanted pregnancies and STD (“Sex Education in America”). In order to reduce the risk of teenage pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, Douglas Bernard Kirby, Ph.D. from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy states in his 2007 publication of Emerging Answers: To be effective, such programs must be straightforward and specific; for example, they might discuss realistic situations that could lead to unprotected sex and methods for avoiding those situations, for remaining abstinent, and for using condoms and other contraceptives. (Kirby 16) Even though studies have shown mixed results...
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...behaviors in teens including delaying first sexual intercourse, reducing number of sex partners, and increasing condom or contraceptive use (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). 3. Comprehensive sex education programs do not hasten the initiation of sexual intercourse. In fact, in an analysis of 40 different studies of comprehensive sex education programs, 40% of them showed a significant delay in initiation of sexual intercourse among teens, and 60% showed no impact in when teens initiated sexual intercourse (Kirby, 2007). 4. Comprehensive education programs do not increase the number of sexual partners teens have. In a review of 29 studies, 12 lowered the report of sexual partners, 16 showed no change, and only 3 had an increase (Kirby, 2007). 5. In a review of 37 studies measuring condom use among...
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