Rough Draft!

Teenage pregnancy and STD levels are at an all time high. With such a crisis occurring in the youth today, it is important that society takes a step back and examines how to solve the problem. The most obvious way of solving the teenage pregnancy and STD epidemic is prevention. Sex education is the best preventative measure that can be taken in order to ensure that adolescents are informed enough to make responsible, healthy decisions when it comes to sexual activity. Even within the subject of sex education, there is great debate over the type of curriculum that should be used: an abstinence only approach, which only advocates waiting until marriage, versus a comprehensive program, which provides students with information about contraceptives and STD prevention. There is, however, a middle ground; abstinence focused education teaches the benefits of abstaining and encourages abstinence as the only sure way of protecting oneself from pregnancy and STDS while also informing students about methods of contraception and STD prevention, so that they can practice safer sex, should they choose to do so. Due to the alarming rates of teenage sexual activity and the negative results associated with it, as well as the need to address this problem in a way that is realistic, informative, and helpful to students, public schools should adopt a comprehensive sex education curriculum with a strong focus on abstinence as the only sure way to prevent STDS and pregnancy.
The abstinence only approach is relatively new on the scene of sex education. This curriculum was only popularized in 1996, when Congress passed a welfare reform law allocating $50 million annually to states offering abstinence only sex education. These funds cannot be used to support curriculums that endorse birth control, but rather for programs that show that sex outside of marriage is likely to result in “harmful physical and psychological effects,” and that the avoidance of extramarital sex “is the expected standard” of human behavior. In May 2002, congress voted to extend this provision for an additional 5 years. Prior to this act, most public high schools taught a comprehensive curriculum, educating their students on the risks of sexual activity, such as STDS, and how to protect themselves, specifically focusing on condoms not only as method of birth control but also as a means of preventing the spread of STDs. However, the federal funding has encouraged many public schools to adopt abstinence only curriculums, and yet the problems continue. Teen pregnancy is much more prevalent in the U.S. than any other industrialized nation, as more than one million teenage girls become pregnant every year. A third of all teenage pregnancies end in abortion, but perhaps, if adolescents were properly educated about how to prevent pregnancy, the need for abortions would be greatly reduced. Three million teenagers become infected with an STD each year, and gonorrhea and chlamydia are more common among teenagers than adults. Society recognizes these problems and is seeking change. Public opinion supports educating students as to the risks of sexual activity and ways to protect themselves: one study found that “approximately 82% of respondents indicated support for programs that teach students about both abstinence and other methods of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.” The study summarized that, “abstinence-only programs, while a priority of the federal government, are supported by neither a majority of the public nor the scientific community.”
Simply put, teaching abstinence only sex education is unrealistic. Adolescents are making their sexually debut at increasingly younger ages. In a survey conducted by the CDC in 1993, “more than 43% of ninth grade boys and more than 31% of ninth-grade girls report having had sexual intercourse” (Sex Education). Therefore, it is unrealistic to ignore the teaching of safe sex practices and the consequences associated with sexual activity. By doing so, we are only endangering the lives of students who are already chosen not to abstain. Instead, by offering information about how to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancy and STDs, an abstinence focused program allows students to make safe, smart decisions about sexual activity while also learning about the many physical, emotional, and mental benefits of abstinence. Tamara Kreinin, president of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, notes the inevitability of the presence of sex in the lives of adolescents: “Young people are going to learn about sex and our question has to be where do we want them to learn? From the media? From their friends? Or do we want them to learn from an educated, responsible adult?" Clearly, Kreinin supports a curriculum of sex education that meets the needs of a youth immersed in a culture filled with sexuality and helps them to make responsible decisions based on factual information. Enforcing the message about the consequences of premarital sexual activity, as well as the necessity of protecting oneself from these consequences, can only help prevent the teen pregnancy and STD epidemic in existence today. For example, many abstinence based sex education programs focus on the use of the condom to prevent STDs and as a form of birth control. A study by the CDC found that when condoms are used properly and consistently, there is only a 2% failure rate. However, in order to reduce the risks and achieve a 2% failure rate, students must be aware of the necessity of the condom’s use as well as informed on how to properly use it. Finally, by supplementing this type of information with a focus on abstinence as the only way to guarantee against STDs and pregnancy, students can make the most informed decision possible and take accountability for their actions as well as the results.
Finally, in deciding upon a sex education curriculum and exactly what information should be presented to students, it is necessary to consider the audience, and make the program appropriate and relevant to them. Douglas Kirby, director of research for ETR Associates, a California-based source of materials on sex education, makes a comment about tailoring sex education programs based on the audience when he says: “For younger, sexually inexperienced youth, an effective message is: ‘Wait until you are older to have sexual intercourse.’ For older kids: ‘Avoid unprotected intercourse--the best way to do this is abstinence; if you have sex, always use protection.’ For high-risk groups, most of whom are having intercourse, an effective message is: ‘Always use condoms; otherwise you might get AIDS.’” Clearly, it is unreasonable to teach only abstinence in an inner city high-risk classroom where the majority students have already engaged in sexual intercourse, many with multiple partners, and most without proper protection or information about the risks involved. By addressing different age and maturity levels, methods of dealing with sexual peer pressure can be addressed at an earlier age, thus preventing many early sexual experiences, and at the very least, providing information on how to make later sexual activity safer.
Clearly, adolescents today are uneducated about the risks of sexual activity and the ways in which to protect themselves. This lack of knowledge is downright dangerous: causing up to a million teenage pregnancies annually and up to three million cases of sexually transmitted diseases. As teenagers begin to have sex earlier and earlier, it is unrealistic and harmful to their health to teach them only about abstinence. By providing knowledge about the risks of sexual activity and ways to lessen these risks as well as providing a totally risk free and beneficial alternative (abstinence), students can informed decisions about their own sexual health, which, given the sex-crazy culture of today’s world, is all we can really ask or hope for.

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Brody, Jane E. “Abstinence-Only: Does It Work?” New York Times Jun. 2004:F7. ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times. Cooper Lib., Clemson U. 12 Apr. 2008
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