Academia.eduAcademia.edu

Outline

Title
Abstract
Key Takeaways
All Topics
Sociology
Gender Studies

Sex Education in the United States

Profile image of Grace GilmourGrace Gilmour
https://doi.org/10.1080/19361650802396775
visibility

…

description

12 pages

link

1 file

Abstract

The United States currently has sex education policies in place that favor abstinence-based education. It also has the highest teen pregnancy and STI rate of anydeveloped nation. Women suffer as a result. Becoming mothers at very young ages isholding off girls who would be graduating from high school, going on to college, andmaybe doing something great with their lives. The connection between the USA‟s abstinence-based tendency and their high pregnancy rate is not a coincidence. Study after study shows that abstinence-based education programs do not work to increasecontraceptive use, delay the initiation of sex, or decrease incidence of STIs within theteen population. Comprehensive sex education is statistically much more effective as wellas more inclusive of the LGBTQQ community. The majority of European countries haveadopted comprehensive sex education programs and their teens, specifically their teenagegirls are fairing much better as a result. Furthermore, abstinence-based sex educationfocuses on traditional gender roles and shames girls into being submissive and pure‟ until marriage. This annotated bibliography compares comprehensive sex education andabstinence-based education as well as looks into the struggle of the teenage mother. The goal is to look at the damage that abstinence-based education is doing to American students.

Key takeaways
sparkles

AI

  1. Abstinence-based education correlates with high teen pregnancy and STI rates in the U.S.
  2. Over 17% of first pregnancies occur in women under 18, exacerbating poverty cycles.
  3. Comprehensive sex education reduces teen pregnancy rates significantly, with programs delaying sexual initiation by 48%.
  4. Majority of U.S. states still enforce abstinence-based sex education despite its ineffectiveness.
  5. LGBTQQ youth face alienation in abstinence-based curricula, which often perpetuate harmful stereotypes.

Related papers

Educating Teenagers About Sex in the United States
Joyce Abma

PsycEXTRA Dataset

View PDFchevron_right
Changes in formal sex education: 1995–2002
Susheela Singh

Contraception, 2006

in male and female adolescents' reports of the sex education they have received from formal sources were examined. Life-table methods were used to measure the timing of instruction, and t tests were used for changes over time. RESULTS: From 1995 to 2002, reports of formal instruction about birth control methods declined among both genders (males, from 81% to 66%; females, from 87% to 70%). This, combined with increases in reports of abstinence education among males (from 74% to 83%), resulted in a lower proportion of teenagers' overall receiving formal instruction about both abstinence and birth control methods (males, 65% to 59%; females, 84% to 65%), and a higher proportion of teenagers' receiving instruction only about abstinence (males, 9% to 24%; females, 8% to 21%). Teenagers in 2002 had received abstinence education about two years earlier (median age, 11.4 for males, 11.8 for females) than they had received birth control instruction (median age, 13.5 for both males and females). Among sexually experienced adolescents, 62% of females and 54% of males had received instruction about birth control methods prior to first sex. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial retreat from formal instruction about birth control methods has left increasing proportions of adolescents receiving only abstinence education. Efforts are needed to expand teenagers' access to medically accurate and comprehensive reproductive health information.

View PDFchevron_right
Abstinence promotion and the provision of information about contraception in public school district sexuality education policies
Norzila Ani

Family Planning Perspectives, 1999

View PDFchevron_right
An Evaluation of an Abstinence-Only Sex Education Curriculum: An 18-Month Follow-up
Michael Young

Journal of School Health, 2006

View PDFchevron_right
Comprehensive Sex Education
Sophia Miner
View PDFchevron_right
A THEORETICAL INVESTIGATION OF PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD SEX EDUCATION
Scott Maggard, Allison Chappell

Sociological Spectrum, 2010

View PDFchevron_right
The State of Sex Education in the United States
Kelli Komro

Journal of Adolescent Health, 2016

View PDFchevron_right
Sex respect”: Abstinence education and other deployments for sexual “freedom.”
Liz Jackson

2006

Those who view the right to a religiously neutral, empirically based public education as fundamental have been able to do little more than watch in terror as abstinence-only sex education, which excludes information on either safe sex or birth control, has come to prevail in United States (US) schools.

View PDFchevron_right
Abstinence and abstinence-only education: A review of U.S. policies and programs
Rebecca Schleifer

Journal of Adolescent Health, 2006

Abstinence from sexual intercourse is an important behavioral strategy for preventing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and pregnancy among adolescents. Many adolescents, including most younger adolescents, have not initiated sexual intercourse and many sexually experienced adolescents and young adults are abstinent for varying periods of time. There is broad support for abstinence as a necessary and appropriate part of sexuality education. Controversy arises when abstinence is provided to adolescents as a sole choice and where health information on other choices is restricted or misrepresented. Although abstinence is theoretically fully effective, in actual practice abstinence often fails to protect against pregnancy and STIs. Few Americans remain abstinent until marriage; many do not or cannot marry, and most initiate sexual intercourse and other sexual behaviors as adolescents. Although abstinence is a healthy behavioral option for teens, abstinence as a sole option for adolescents is scientifically and ethically problematic. A recent emphasis on abstinence-only programs and policies appears to be undermining more comprehensive sexuality education and other government-sponsored programs. We believe that abstinence-only education programs, as defined by federal funding requirements, are morally problematic, by withholding information and promoting questionable and inaccurate opinions. Abstinence-only programs threaten fundamental human rights to health, information, and life.

View PDFchevron_right
Sex education in the schools: what role does it play?
Hatim Omar

International journal of adolescent medicine and health

Information regarding pubertal development, sex, pregnancy, and contraception should be provided to children and adolescents in an age-appropriate manner from parents, health care providers, and schools. This article reviews the medical literature on school sex education programs, adolescents' perception of these programs, and the role played by the media, parents, and health care professionals in sexual education of teens.

View PDFchevron_right

Related papers

Sex Education in the United States: Implications for Sexual Health and Health Policy
Eliana Johnson

The Corinthian, 2020

View PDFchevron_right
Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S
Kathrin Stanger-Hall

PLOS ONE, 2011

The United States ranks first among developed nations in rates of both teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. In an effort to reduce these rates, the U.S. government has funded abstinence-only sex education programs for more than a decade. However, a public controversy remains over whether this investment has been successful and whether these programs should be continued. Using the most recent national data (2005) from all U.S. states with information on sex education laws or policies (N = 48), we show that increasing emphasis on abstinence education is positively correlated with teenage pregnancy and birth rates. This trend remains significant after accounting for socioeconomic status, teen educational attainment, ethnic composition of the teen population, and availability of Medicaid waivers for family planning services in each state. These data show clearly that abstinence-only education as a state policy is ineffective in preventing teenage pregnancy and may actually be contributing to the high teenage pregnancy rates in the U.S. In alignment with the new evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative and the Precaution Adoption Process Model advocated by the National Institutes of Health, we propose the integration of comprehensive sex and STD education into the biology curriculum in middle and high school science classes and a parallel social studies curriculum that addresses risk-aversion behaviors and planning for the future.

View PDFchevron_right
Factors Associated with the Content of Sex Education in U.S. Public Secondary Schools
Susheela Singh

Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2003

CONTEXT: While sex education is almost universal in U.S. schools, its content varies considerably. Topics such as abstinence, and basic information on HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), are commonly taught; birth control and how to access STD and contraceptive services are taught less often. Factors potentially associated with these variations need to be examined.

View PDFchevron_right
Abstinence-only education policies and programs: A position paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine
Mary Ott

Journal of Adolescent Health, 2006

View PDFchevron_right
Issues in Public Education: Comprehensive Sex Education vs. Abstinence Education
Jill Clark

The issue of sex education has become a hot-button topic within the field of public education due to the sensitive nature of the topic. Because sex education is inextricably linked to the topic of human sexuality, it is a subject that is steeped in moral, religious, ethical and political agendas. Due to the complexities of addressing this topic with in the public school setting – two very distinct and opposing viewpoints have emerged… The purpose of this research is then to explore each side of this issue, with equal regard, and present a conclusion based on efficacy and compromise.

View PDFchevron_right

Related topics

  • Gender Studies
  • Education
  • Women's Studies
  • Teaching Sexuality Education

    • Cited by

    Dangerous Omissions: Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage School-Based Sexuality Education and the Betrayal of LGBTQ Youth
    Mickey Eliason

    American Journal of Sexuality Education, 2010

    View PDFchevron_right
    Creating Comprehensive, Youth Centered, Culturally Appropriate Sex Education: What Do Young Gay, Bisexual, and Questioning Men Want?
    Laura Thomas, Emily Pingel, Jose Bauermeister

    Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 2013

    We examined young gay, bisexual, and questioning men's (YGBQM) experiences with school-based sex education as they sought to learn about sex and sexual health, and their suggestions for improving same-sex education resources. Thematic analysis of 30 in-depth interviews with YGBQM (ages 18-24) underscored the discrepancies between the existing school-based sex education curricula and YGBQM's perceived sex education needs. Our results show that many youths' sexuality and same-sex sexual behaviors are excluded in sex education lessons; however, YGBQM noted that they sought out other resources (e.g., websites) to answer their questions. We discuss YGBQM's ideas for the creation of a sex and sexual health website that would be tailored for youth like themselves, including topics and features that an ideal website would contain. In addition, we present recommended changes to existing school-based sexual education curricula.

    View PDFchevron_right
    The Role of Community-Based Organizations in Adolescent Sexual Health Promotion
    Catherine Sherwood-laughlin, Christopher Fisher

    Health Promotion Practice, 2012

    Many scholars and practitioners have advocated for a more ecological approach to sexual health promotion for adolescents, such as one that includes involvement from schools, parents, and community organizations. Although extensive research has been conducted with schools and parents, little is known about the roles community-based organizations (CBOs) may play in the education and promotion of sexual health to young people. This study aimed to (a) identify the types of sexual health and sexuality-related questions asked by youth and programming/services, resources, and referrals currently being provided by CBOs; (b) explore the approaches used by CBOs when developing and implementing sexual health promotion programs; and (c) compare these findings with those from a similar study on school teachers, counselors, and nurses within the same state. Data collected from 169 people working in CBOs indicate that a wide variety of topics were covered by CBOs through programming and services, resources, and/or referral protocols. Topics covered varied in frequency. Overall, participants indicated a relatively comprehensive and accessible approach to providing sex uality information to youth. The results of this study suggest that CBOs should be included in the range of sources to be used for comprehensive sexual health promotion. If such organizations are supported with information, training, and resources, they could play a valuable role in the promotion of sexual health for adolescents.

    View PDFchevron_right
    A Mixed Methods Study of Sexuality Education Experiences and Preferences Among Bisexual, Pansexual, and Queer (Bi+) Male Youth
    Brian Feinstein

    2021

    Bisexual male youth are more likely to engage in certain behaviors that contribute to HIV/STI transmission (e.g., substance use) than are heterosexual and gay male youth. However, sexuality education rarely addresses the unique needs of sexual minority youth, especially bisexual, pansexual, and queer (bi+) youth, and little is known about their sexuality education experiences and preferences. As such, the goal of this study was to examine bi+ male youth’s experiences learning about sex and their preferences for sexuality education. In 2019, 56 bi+ male youth ages 14–17 were surveyed and interviewed about their sexuality education experiences and preferences. Participants identified as bisexual (64%), pansexual (27%), and queer (9%), were racially/ethnically diverse (39% white, 32% Latinx, 20% Black, 9% other races), and included cisgender (79%) and transgender (21%) male youth. Participants described varied experiences with school-based sexuality education (e.g., none, abstinence on...

    View PDFchevron_right
    ‘It’s kinda bad, honestly’: Australian students’ experiences of relationships and sexuality education
    Roz Bellamy

    Health Education Research, 2020

    Relationships and sexuality education for young people in Australia and elsewhere is a controversial topic. Numerous studies in Australia have focused on curriculum, policy, teachers, schools, sexting and other behaviours, and knowledge regarding sexually transmitted infection (STI)/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and pregnancy prevention. Few large-scale national studies have engaged with young people about what they want out of their sex education, and what they suggest would be most valuable for future programs in Australia. Data for the study included qualitative comments about experiences of sex education (n = 2316) provided in a national survey of adolescent sexual health. An initial thematic inductive analysis identified comments falling into two dominant themes: positive and negative experiences of their sex education. Results indicate that young people in Australia are articulate and understanding of the gaps in their sex education. A majority of comments highlighted neg...

    View PDFchevron_right
    580 California St., Suite 400
    San Francisco, CA, 94104
    © 2025 Academia. All rights reserved