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Teaching Abstinence-Only Vs. Comprehensive Sex Education In Public Schools

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Sex is going to happen among public school students no matter what. According to “Teen Sexuality and Pregnancy,” 62 percent of high school seniors in the United States have had sex. The argument over whether to teach Abstinence-only or Comprehensive Sex education is ongoing and yet unnecessary. There is absolutely no possible way to insure that every single public school student refrains from having sex until marriage. Asking students to commit to remaining abstinent-only until marriage is unrealistic. It also adds additional pressure in an already stressful environment. Comprehensive Sex Education allows students to make educated decisions. Comprehensive Sex Education covers more information than its outdated rival; Abstinence-only Sex Education. Should public schools teach Abstinent-only? Comprehensive Sex Education should be the only sex education program taught in the public school system because; Comprehensive Sex Education is more informative, removing Abstinence-only programs from public schools will save money in government funding, and teaching Abstinence-only goes against the First Amendment. Comprehensive Sex Education is a scientifically based program that covers an array of topics. This program teaches students medically accurate information regarding; abstinence, contraceptives and condom use, human anatomy, sexual orientation, sexual transmitted infections including HIV, and unintended pregnancies. In the “Guttmacher Policy Review, Winter 2009,” according to Kirby in Emerging Answers 2007, "two-thirds of the 48 comprehensive programs that supported both abstinence and the use of condoms and contraceptives for sexually active teens had positive behavioral effects." Many either delayed or reduced sexual activity, reduced the number of sexual partners or increased condom or contraceptive use. Abstinence-only Sex Education’s main focus is to remain a virgin until marriage. This program tends to stray from using scientifically accurate information and does not discuss contraceptive and condom use. Abstinence-only Sex Education also promotes Virginity Pledges which have been proven ineffective. The author, Martino, Steven of "Virginity Pledges Prevent Some Teens from Having Sex," states that virginity pledges do not work in the strictest sense of delaying sex until marriage. Almost everyone has sex before they are married (95 percent of Americans), and that includes those who take virginity pledges. By teaching Comprehensive Sex Education only, you are arming students with an abundance of medically correct information and they will be more apt to make educated decisions regarding sex. Every year the government is wasting millions of dollars on Abstinence-only education programs. The chart shown in the, "Federal funding (in dollars) put toward abstinence-only-until-marriage sex education program, fiscal year 2009,” clearly shows that the funding for abstinence-only programs totaled more than 100 million dollars in the United States. This total also includes funding for the Community Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) program and the Adolescent Family Life Act …show more content…
The programs main focus is to refrain from having sexual intercourse until marriage. This goes against students’ First Amendment Right, which separates church and state. "Abstinence-Only Education Violates Students ' Rights," addressed a valid point as well, it says, “gay and lesbian students, who have no right to future marriage possibilities, are given no options under abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.” It is as if they do not exist. By teaching Comprehensive Sex Education only in public schools, each student is shown the same fairness and all students are not held to such high, rarely obtainable standards; such as not having sex until you are

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