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Why Abstinence Only Policies Don’t Work

Written by: Leela H.


Why We Need Comprehensive Sex-Ed?


The public school education system in the US has many fundamental flaws. One such flaw is that a vast number of schools only promote abstinence-only-until-marriage (AOUM) sex-ed programs, which have been scientifically proven to be ineffective. There are only 18 states where sex-ed can include forms of birth control and 37 where sex-ed is required under the public education system. Action must be taken to correct this because inadequate sexual health classes can have direct, lifelong repercussions.


The fact of the matter is that while abstaining from sex is the only 100% effective method to prevent pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), abstinence until marriage as a form of birth control is simply not practical. The average age of virginity loss steadily declined for decades until the 1990’s when it leveled at 17-19 in the United States. This means it is more relevant now than ever before to have comprehensive sex-ed for teenagers. Not to mention the fact that Americans are waiting an increasingly longer time to get married, and 75% of the 20-year-old Americans have had premarital sex according to one nationwide census. This makes it not only increasingly unrealistic for a population where the average age of marriage is between 25-30 to remain chaste, but also impractical. For those who believe the proof is in the pudding, the reality is that the majority of scientifically conducted studies like those featured in the Journal of Adolescent Health and the Guttmacher Institute all indicate that the current sex-ed programs are failing American students. Another major factor in why AOUM programs should be discontinued is the fact that they have been proven to encourage toxic masculinity and other gender norms, which lead to abusive households while also not applying to and alienating LGBTQ+ youths. Therefore, cutting $200 million from non-AOUM programs as the Trump administration has done is unacceptable.


The largest opponent of spreading information about safe sex is the moral right. Religious conservatives believe that pre-marital sex is a sin, and some forms of birth control, like abortions, are the equivalent of state-sanctioned murder. However, the fact of the matter is that teens are having sex, and therefore they should be given the tools they need to do it safely. Preventing teenagers from learning how to utilize effective forms of birth control paves the way for unwanted pregnancies, nearly 200,000 of which belong to teenage moms, which often end in abortion. This is supported by the research of Katheryn Kost, an expert in the field who says that “the available evidence suggests that improved contraceptive use continues to be the primary driver of these declines (in teen abortion rates).” Abortion is highly stigmatized in the US and is something religious and conservative groups morally protest at a higher rate than other forms of contraceptives. By increasing the knowledge of and access to effective contraceptives like birth control pills, condoms, IUDs, etc., the rate of abortions could decrease severely, which is the method of birth prevention that conservatives despise the most.

To conclude, schools should have better, more comprehensive sex-ed classes. The current curriculum in most schools is scientifically ineffective, goes against a human’s basic biology, ignores the existence of minority LGBT+ students, and is impractical. Having better sex-ed classes that focus on other methods aside from abstinence is simply the most logical response to the current state of sexuality in the United States.


Edited by: Happy J.

Bibliography:


McCammon, Sarah. “Abstinence-Only Education Is Ineffective And Unethical, Report Argues.”


Parenthood, Planned. “Sex Education Laws and State Attacks.” Planned Parenthood Action


“U.S. Rates of Pregnancy, Birth and Abortion Among Adolescents and Young Adults Continue to


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