sex education Comprehensive Vs. Abstinence By: Brittany Barlow

Facts on Sex Education 82% of the approximate 750,000 teen pregnancies that happen a year are unintended The U.S. has the highest teen pregnancy rate By 2002, one-third of teens had not received any formal instruction about contraception Majority of teachers agree with comprehensive sex Education and feel it should be taught by the 12th grade 9 /10 teachers believe students should be taught about contraception 1 in 4 are prohibited from doing so

Abstinence Approach Abstaining from sex until marriage Prevents HIV Prevents other transmitted infections Prevents Unintended Pregnancies Immoral for anyone to have sex before marriage Religious Beliefs

Comprehensive Approach Effective at assisting youth Healthy decisions Adopt healthy sexual behaviors Informs youth that Abstaining from sexual activity is the best preventative strategy STD’s can and do happen Contraceptives and Condoms can be used to help avoid Infections, STD’s, and unintended pregnancy

Disagreement between both approaches Abstinence Approach Believes Abstinence is the ONLY way to go Comprehensive approach encourages youth to practice sexual behaviors Abstinence is going to delay sexual activity Comprehensive Approach Believes Students will make a choice on their own Sex before marriage IS a possibility Providing information on contraceptives lessens the chance of infection, unintended pregnancies, & STD’s.

Abstinence Informs students of being the only full proof method Advantages Disadvantages Informs students of being the only full proof method Aids in preventing emotional or psychological damage Way of helping to build more meaningful and long lasting relationships. No guarantee this method will prevent youth from abstaining from sex If someone does decide to participate in sexual activity, they have no knowledge on contraceptive measures Emphasis on virginity may lead youth to anal or oral sex

Comprehensive Reduces the risks of STD’s and how to prevent them Advantages Disadvantages Reduces the risks of STD’s and how to prevent them Reduces the risk of unintended pregnancy Gives students education about all types of contraception Appropriate sexual education can have an impact on preventing sexual problems in adulthood Some people feel that providing so much information gives teens a wider variety of sexual activities to engage in. I.e. Oral & Anal Sex Teens may feel with contraceptives sex is okay to engage in Students may suffer from embarrassment on the subject matter Can cause out of control classrooms (inappropriate remarks)

Statistics Since 1992, the federal government has spent close to $ 1 billion on abstinence-only sex education Comprehensive has received virtually no federal funding After falling for about 15 years, the rate of teen pregnancy is on the rise again In 2006 there were almost 42 pregnancies for every 1000 U.S teens between 15 & 19 years of age An estimated 19 million sexually transmitted diseases occur each year with a vast majority of those infected being adolescents Rising STD rates and teen pregnancies are an indication that adolescents need more education, and need to be more aware of sexual consequences.

States Rejecting Abstinence Only Education Arizona New York California Ohio Colorado Rhode Island Connecticut Virginia Maine Wisconsin Massachusetts Wyoming Minnesota Iowa Montana New Jersey New Mexico

Utah Laws Utah schools are required by law to provide STD, HIV/AIDS and sex education. They also must teach abstinence until marriage but are not required to provide information on contraception. Utah state code further requires that materials used for instruction in health do not include “the advocacy of homosexuality; the advocacy or encouragement of the use of contraceptive methods or devices; or the advocacy of sexual activity outside of marriage.”

Video on sex education vs. Abstinence only education http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vma6ww7dtSA