Abortion Essay Research Paper What is Sex

Abortion Essay, Research Paper What is Sex Education? Sexuality education is a lifelong process of acquiring information and forming attitudes, beliefs, and values about identity, relationships, and intimacy. Sex education is composed of information; feelings, values, and attitudes; and communication and decision-making skills. Sex education in America’s schools is often based on abstinence only or a more comprehensive program that includes contraception. (Kanabus) Abstinence Only Sex Education Abstinence only education teaches social, psychological, and health is gained only by abstaining from sexual activity. It totally avoids specific discussions of contraception or safer sex. They teach abstinence from sexuality activity outside marriage is the expected standard for all

school age children. It teaches that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other health problems. They teach sexual activity outside of marriage has harmful psychological and physical effects. It teaches young people how to reject sexual advances and how alcohol and drug use increase vulnerability to sexual advances; and teaches the importance of reaching self-reliance before any sexual activity. (Stepp) Abstinence classes sometimes have teens sign pledges to avoid sexual relationships before marriage. A recent federal study of 6,800 questionnaires filled out by students found that on average teenagers who have made pledges refrain from sexual relationships eighteen months longer than peers who have made no

pledge. Abstinence advocates have pride in this finding. It seems to show that taking a stand in the company of others can affect behavior, but that also raises the question about the depths of such commitments. Many of those who pledged didn’t keep the full commitment of no sex before marriage. (Coalition) In some instance pledging is more of a fad than a matter of deep commitment, and if they are not made with deep commitment they are nothing. “Congress allocated $50 million in federal funds for the program each year for federal fiscal years 1998 through 2002. By the end of the program’s five guaranteed years, America will have spent nearly half a billion dollars on the abstinence-only-until-marriage education program. During the first year of the program, 48 states

accepted the federal funds and provided support for 698 abstinence-only-until-marriage grants for education agencies, community-based organizations, and statewide programs. (Colwell) There are six published studies of abstinence-only programs. None have found significant program effects on delaying the onset of intercourse. One has provided strong evidence that the program did not delay the intercourse. (Berlfein) The abstinence-only sex education movement has been propelled by mistaken belief that comprehensive sexuality education itself somehow seduces teenagers into sexual activity. By this reasoning it follows that schools either ignore the issue or discuss sexuality only in terms of fear and disease. (Kanabus) Six in ten teachers who taught an abstinence only approach

presented no information about contraceptive methods or taught that they are ineffective. (Abstinence-Only) Because of this the teenagers are denied information about how to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases in the likely event that they have sexual intercourse. Comprehensive Sex Education Comprehensive sexuality education begins with abstinence but also acknowledges that many teenagers will choose to have sex and need to be aware of the consequences and how to protect themselves. Such programs include instruction in safe sex behavior, including use of condoms and other contraceptives. The programs have four main goals to provide accurate information on human sexuality, to help develop and understand values, attitudes and beliefs about sex, to help develop