It has always been the parents job to teach their sons and daughters about the birds and the bees, but what if parents choose to avoid the conversation altogether? Every child deserves equally inclusive education about their sexuality, regardless of the child’s zip code, nationality, religion, or gender. Abstinence-only education continues to be taught to students in attempt to decrease sexual activity within teenagers and to promote committing to a single sexual partner through marriage. While abstinence-only education may be viewed as the easiest answer to preventing teenagers from having sex, the Center for Disease Control states that 47% of all high school students are or have been sexually active as of 2016 (“State”). Aside from being
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Former sex education programs in American led to misinformation about the fundamentals of sex. For example, a sex-education video from the 80s insinuated that a young girl performed better in bowling due to the starting of her menstrual period (Oliver), It is important that the basics of sexual education are accurately and efficiently delivered to the students of America. If a student is provided with a book but is never taught how to read, what use does the book serve? Who will teach the student that it is not okay to throw his or her book at another student, unless the student asks to read the book? This same analogy can be applied to abstinence-only education. This gap in sexual education knowledge can be attributed to the fact that many school districts either circumvent the topic of sex or avoid it all together with an abstinence-only based curriculum. Every child deserves the same comprehensive education about his or her sexuality, and failure to equally educate all students about their sexuality leads to great disadvantages (Oliver). These disadvantages derived from an abstinence-only education include unfamiliarity with contraceptive methods, consent, and the effects of sexual intercourse on both the body and the mind. Although abstinence-only programs tend to leave students uninformed about their sexuality, it has been proven that abstinence as a rule leads to more satisfactory and healthier relationships for students (McCarthy). According to a University of Austin Texas study conducted in 2007, non-romantic sexual relationships are more likely to lead to cohabitation rather than marriage (McCarthy). Despite this fact, it is still important to teach abstinence as an option instead of a rule, for teaching abstinence as the only option may lead to both misinformation
Former sex education programs in American led to misinformation about the fundamentals of sex. For example, a sex-education video from the 80s insinuated that a young girl performed better in bowling due to the starting of her menstrual period (Oliver), It is important that the basics of sexual education are accurately and efficiently delivered to the students of America. If a student is provided with a book but is never taught how to read, what use does the book serve? Who will teach the student that it is not okay to throw his or her book at another student, unless the student asks to read the book? This same analogy can be applied to abstinence-only education. This gap in sexual education knowledge can be attributed to the fact that many school districts either circumvent the topic of sex or avoid it all together with an abstinence-only based curriculum. Every child deserves the same comprehensive education about his or her sexuality, and failure to equally educate all students about their sexuality leads to great disadvantages (Oliver). These disadvantages derived from an abstinence-only education include unfamiliarity with contraceptive methods, consent, and the effects of sexual intercourse on both the body and the mind. Although abstinence-only programs tend to leave students uninformed about their sexuality, it has been proven that abstinence as a rule leads to more satisfactory and healthier relationships for students (McCarthy). According to a University of Austin Texas study conducted in 2007, non-romantic sexual relationships are more likely to lead to cohabitation rather than marriage (McCarthy). Despite this fact, it is still important to teach abstinence as an option instead of a rule, for teaching abstinence as the only option may lead to both misinformation