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1
Abigail Western
Ms. Gardner
30 April 2018
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limited in their sex education to old-fashioned, outdated information with no regard for the plethora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
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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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Healy, Vikki O. "In Wake of #MeToo Movement, Sex Education Evolves." Chicago Tribune
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
O'Neill, Elyse. “Religion and Sex: The Politics of Abstinence-Only Sex Education.” Berkeley
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.