Abstinence-Only Education

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Abstinence-Only Education in Schools is Inadequate
Education is imperative in the endeavor to shape future generations into creators and scholars. The world continues to grow and change so the attitudes and knowledge of younger students should follow these progressions. With the world constantly advancing the teaching of abstinence-only education has become inadequate and frankly unsafe.
The Government of the United States continues to support abstinence-only programs due to the recurring funding provided for such programs. As of late, abstinence-only education grants have been given only to groups associated with the Community Based Abstinence Education Program (Denny). Even though most government funding goes to abstinence-only programs, …show more content…
Using abstinence as the only means of contraception plus the support of the United States government, school sex education programs are restricting students to ‘Wait until marriage for sex’ contraception theory. This theory withholds the necessary information for birth control usage and prevention of STIs thus creating an unsafe sexual environment for teens. In most instances of abstinence-only education, little information about contraceptives is shared only negative information such as, “Abstinence-only education’s singular focus on abstinence, and its distortions concerning the effectiveness of methods of contraception and disease prevention, the risks associated with abortion, and the other consequences of sex misleads minors and compromises their ability and right to make informed health decisions” (Diamond). Introspective studies have shown that comprehensive education rather than abstinence-only education is safer and more …show more content…
Not only does it cause guilt in those who have already engaged in sexual intercourse but it causes fear in both those who have and have not.“When youth schooled by abstinence-only programs do become sexually active, the programs’ anti-condom messages may actually discourage them from practicing safe sex, making the negative information the programs offer about contraception and disease prevention particularly dangerous” (Kay). These scare tactics can be psychologically damaging and further future unsafe sex into adulthood. Many studies have been done on the ineffectiveness of abstinence only education, “Based on this review, abstinence programs have little evidence to warrant their widespread replication; conversely, strong evidence suggests that some comprehensive programs should be disseminated widely” (Kirby). Unless schools begin to embrace a comprehensive sexual education program adolescents will continue to have increased STD rates and unplanned
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