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Abigail Western

Ms. Gardner

English 10H, Period 4

30 April 2018

Ushering in a New Era of Education

23% of adolescent students nationwide receive zero formal sex education besides

abstinence-only sex education, reveals Euphrates Livni, a writer for ABC News. Many students are

limited in their sex education to old-fashioned, outdated information with no regard for the plethora

of knowledge necessary to keep oneself safe and informed in our modern climate. Especially in

light of the recent #MeToo movement, educating our youth about all aspects of sexual life is more

vital than ever to protect them and help them make intelligent, informed decisions as well as

reinforce their self-worth. Sex education needs to be nationally reformed to provide unbiased,

medically sound information inclusive of LGBTQ students because of the gross inadequacy of

abstinence-only sex education.

Initially, many would argue that teaching abstinence is the only option for teenagers that

keeps them safe, sheltered, and protected from the potential dangers of sexual life. For obvious

reasons, it is true that abstinence is the only option 100% guaranteed to prevent pregnancy and

STIs. Moreover, the article “Sex-Ed must Stress Value of Abstinence” featured in the Honolulu Star-

Advertiser confirms that “delaying sexual initiation, reducing the number of sex partners, and

frequency of unprotected sex and increasing condom use all reduce serious health risks for students,

according to the Center for Disease Control.” In addition, the article explains that abstinence-only

sex ed has the health and safety of the students in mind which aims to shield students from the

biological and emotional complexities associated with sex. Ostensibly, supporters of abstinence-

only programs believe that students are safest when educated solely in abstinence. Truthfully, many
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see abstinence-only programs as the only way to keep teenagers protected. However, students need

a comprehensive sex education that covers all aspects of sexual life so that they can be armed with

modern, medically sound information to make intelligent decisions for themselves.

Admittedly, abstinence is the only failsafe method for preventing unplanned pregnancy and

STIs. Nevertheless, when one looks at the failure of abstinence-only programs in preventing

teenagers from participating in sexual activities, it is clear that these antiquated programs are simply

not successful in their goal. “Teenagers who are not adequately informed about pregnancy

prevention, or are told only about abstinence, are more likely to become pregnant than those told

about birth control options, including emergency contraception, and how to get them,” notes Jane E.

Brody, an author and New York Times columnist. To give perspective, a 2013 survey found that 46

percent of high-school students had had sex, six percent became sexually active before age 13, and

15 percent had had four or more partners (Sex-Ed must Stress Value of Abstinence). Andrea

Swartzendruber, a professor at the College of Public Health at the University of Georgia, alleges

that abstinence-only sex education does more harm than good (Swartzendruber qtd. in Downey).

Unplanned occurrences make up 82 percent of teen pregnancies and births, often disrupting a girl’s

education and life goals and sometimes resulting in shotgun marriages with poor long-term survival

(Brody). Based on this research, it becomes clear that abstinence-only sex education is outdated and

fruitless in its effort to shield teenagers from sexuality. In summation, if abstinence-only programs

are ineffective and often medically questionable, why are we allowing this type of sex education to

be taught in schools nationwide?

Ultimately, our sex education programs need to be modernized and standardized to not only

accommodate but also support our LGBTQ youth. Many programs ignore that lesbian, gay,

bisexual, and transgender youth exist, let alone acknowledge that they experience high levels of

violence, trauma, and discrimination (Swartzendruber qtd. in Downey). The article “Maybe Teens
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could Learn about Sex from Responsible Grown-Ups” in the TCA Regional News declares that “sex

is a human drive, natural and without shame in the right context. Suppression merely drives curious

young people toward dangers that could be life-altering or life-ending.” This issue of sex education,

in particular, is a political issue at its core. President Trump's 2019 budget allocates $75 million for

abstinence-only programs. “Comprehensive sex ed, defined as ‘age-appropriate, medically-accurate

information on a broad set of topics related to sexuality,’ has no dedicated federal funding stream,

according to SIECUS,” asserts USA Today journalist Alia E. Dastagir. The Republican party’s ideas

often match Christian morals, including ‘traditional’ family values such as abstinence and old-

fashioned views of gender and sexuality. This is due to the Republican party becoming closely

aligned with Evangelical Christians, leading these traditional Christian principles to trickle into the

political system, as Elyse O’Neill of the Berkeley Political Review points out. While all have a right

to their opinion, it becomes unacceptable when these opinions seep through politics into the

classroom, adversely affecting the teens that are often those most in need of unbiased, medically

sound information. Safe environments inclusive of all need to become the reality of sex education

classrooms to block bias from influencing the material passed on to the youth.

Furthermore, as evidenced by the recent attention garnered by the #MeToo movement, we

must ensure that our youth possess the indispensable knowledge surrounding sexual harassment and

assault in order to stay safe, know their options, and maintain their dignity and self-respect. “Victim

after victim has come forward,” recounts Vikki O. Healy, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, “to

report decades of sexual misconduct, abuse of power and outdated gender roles.” Harmful gender

stereotypes are reinforced by many abstinence-only programs, giving females responsibility for

male sexual feelings. These damaging teachings potentially blame sexual assault victims and excuse

perpetrators (Swartzendruber qtd. in Downey). “Sex education in schools must be delivered through

a more social-emotional approach, not a one-time lecture from a gym teacher on ‘the birds and the
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bees’” (Healy). Deviating from the common biology lesson, our nation’s schools need to cover the

topic of starting your sex life in your teenage years as well as the difficult issue of harassment and

assault. “Many sex educators say programs should begin earlier and cover more emotional,

intellectual and social elements of sexual health” (Dastagir). This very relevant issue is

unfortunately pervasive in our schools and our society as a whole. In terms of prevention, it is the

obligation of sex educators to teach our incoming generations of young men and women the

components of a healthy, successful relationship. These factors include honest communication and

mutual respect. Additionally, teens need to understand the importance of consent and “be able to

recognize the signs of sexual coercion in order to guard against sexual assault and violence”

(Swartzendruber qtd. in Downey). This pertinent matter is garnering more attention, as it should,

and consequently, this attention should also be shifted to the schools to teach the coverage of

harassment and assault early and exhaustively.

In conclusion, sex education needs to be nationally revised to factually and considerately

address all factors of sexual life for youth of all gender identities and sexual orientation because of

the ineffectiveness and ignorance of abstinence-only sex education. By teaching abstinence-only sex

education to our nation’s youth, we fail in our responsibility to nurture our future generations into

sensible, self-aware young adults capable of contributing their full potential to our society.

Works Cited

Brody, Jane E. "Contraception for Teenagers." New York Times (Online), 19 Feb, 2018, pp. n/a.

SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Dastagir, Alia E. "Sex Ed: Many Parents Wouldn't Recognize it Today." USA Today (Online),

https://sks.sirs.com.

Downey, Maureen. "Sex Education should Not Spread Shame and Stigma." TCA Regional
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News, 08 Aug, 2017, pp. n/a. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Healy, Vikki O. "In Wake of #MeToo Movement, Sex Education Evolves." Chicago Tribune

(Online), 27 Jan, 2018, pp. n/a. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Livni, Ephrat. “Study: Abstinence-Only Sex Ed Up.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 26 Sept.

2008, abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=117935.

"Maybe Teens could Learn about Sex from Responsible Grown-Ups." TCA Regional News, 17

Feb, 2018, pp. n/a. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

O'Neill, Elyse. “Religion and Sex: The Politics of Abstinence-Only Sex Education.” Berkeley

Political Review, 14 May 2016,

bpr.berkeley.edu/2016/05/14/religion-and-sex-the-politics-of-abstinence-only-sex-

education/.

"Sex-Ed must Stress Value of Abstinence." Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 21 Jun, 2015. SIRS Issues

Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.