This is my research paper for my english102 class. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. ASAP please :)
To Abstain or Not to Abstain
High school is a very important time for teenagers to learn about how to keep themselves safe. Most high schools across the country offer some type of sexual education for students. It is vital for young adults and adolescents to learn about what is going on with their bodies, as well as different ways to stay healthy and avoid unwanted STD's or pregnancies. The two most common types of sexual education today are abstinence-only and pro-contraceptives. There has been much debate on which form of sexual education is most effective and efficient for teens. Abstinence-only sex education should not be taught in high schools, because it leaves teens uneducated, leads to more pregnancies and STD's and is ultimately out of date.
Abstinence-only sex education is a form of sexual education where students learn solely about abstinence. They are not taught about any type of birth control or contraceptives. This form of sex education is commonly favored by conservatives. The pro-contraceptive method is where students are taught about both abstinence and contraception, but focused mainly on contraception. Students learn about the proper use of condoms and other types of birth control; they are often also taught where they can receive these. More liberals are in favor of students learning about contraception.
Evidence shows that many teens and young adults who were taught abstinence-only are much less educated on the topic. In a recent study of young adults between ages eighteen and twenty-nine, more than half of whom are personally abstaining from sex, shows that they are extremely misinformed on basic knowledge regarding sex education. According to the article, 60 Percent Of Young Adults Misinformed About Birth Control As Abstinence-Only Education Flourishes: Study, "After quizzing a nationally representative group of 1,800 unmarried women and men in that age group. . . concluded that more than half of the respondents received low scores on contraceptive knowledge, with 60 percent reportedly underestimating the effectiveness of birth control pills." Whether making the personal decision to abstain from sex or not, it is still extremely important that students and young adults are aware of the facts behind birth control and other contraceptive knowledge. Not being taught these things can be harmful to them in the future when they do decide to become sexually active. The same quiz asked true or false questions about basic statements; more than half of the men and a quarter of the women received either a D or F on the quiz ("60 Percent Of Young Adults Misinformed About Birth Control As Abstinence-Only Education Flourishes: Study"). Receiving such low scores on a quiz based on basic statements shows how misinformed and uneducated these students were. Receiving proper sex education, with all information given, would lead to young adults being much more aware.
It is also common that students are given far-fetched, and sometimes even wrong, information during abstinence-only lessons, which leads to them being less educated on the topic. In the same study as referred to earlier, almost forty percent of the respondents believed that contraception is not important because, "when it is your time to get pregnant, it will happen" ("60 Percent Of Young Adults Misinformed About Birth Control As Abstinence-Only Education Flourishes: Study"). This is an extremely nae statement and belief. If they were taught about contraception and the facts behind it, they would know that unplanned and unwanted pregnancies are extremely common. A fifteen year old boy from Texas, John Karras, was spoken to after -listening to a guest speaker talk about sex - mainly abstinence. Karras recalls that the only information regarding contraceptives the group was taught was, "Condoms can't stop AIDS all the time and won't prevent pregnancy all the time" ("Abstinence Only Vs. Sex Ed. - Effectiveness & Statistics"). Only one mere reference to condoms is not enough information for teens to be knowledgeable on the topic. They need to be properly informed on what condoms and other birth control methods can do, rather than what they can't all the time do. "The National Sexuality Education Standards takes the...approach...which try to scare students away from sex by talking about disease or death," Ms. Hauser of Advocates for Youth said (Shah). Making sex seem like a terrible thing is extremely misinforming to people who don't know much about it. "Sexuality is part of who we are as human beings. If you demonize it when you're young, it becomes much harder when you get older," Hauser stated (Shah). Putting a negative image on sex can very negatively affect how adolescents view certain things in the future. They will not be educated on the topic, and only think bad things of it.
Along with leaving students uninformed, the abstinence-only approach has proven ineffective in regards of reducing teenage pregnancy. "While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported teen pregnancies in 2010 dropped to the lowest rate since 1940, it found that states with abstinence-only policies continue to experience higher rates of teen pregnancies" ("60 Percent Of Young Adults Misinformed About Birth Control As Abstinence-Only Education Flourishes: Study"). This is extremely disappointing because so many states are following an abstinence-only approach. As abstinence-only is the favored method of education in schools, the states with these opinions are experiencing a higher teen pregnancy rate. Eighty-one school districts in Mississippi follow an abstinence-only approach, and they also have the highest teen birth rate in the nation (Anderson). A majority of Mississippi students are being taught abstinence, although they are still experiencing a significant number of teenage pregnancies. This proves that there needs to be more education given to students on how to prevent this. Just because one is taught abstinence, does not mean they are going to follow that same belief. It is vital to know how to properly protect oneself. Between 2009 and 2010, the birth rate in teens aged fifteen through nineteen declined nine percent, with only 34.3 births per 1,000 teens; this can be tracked back to contraceptive knowledge, because during that time (between 2008 and 2010), the number of teens using hormonal birth control raised eleven percent (Tulmello). Being aware of different types of birth controls and how to receive them made students want to protect themselves. Although the rates have impressively dropped, the drop obviously cannot be traced to being taught to abstain.
Having open dialogue with parents about the topic makes students feel more comfortable using and asking for protection. "Reis, an associate professor of women's and gender studies at the University of Oregon in Eugene, says she broached the matter not only with her daughter but has talked with her students, too. One promising freshman she knew dropped out of college after getting pregnant and having a child. Her parents had never discussed the merits of birth control; abstinence was their only directive" (Tulmello). This student who was unaware of all of the types of birth control never spoke with her parents about it. They taught her abstinence was the only way, and unfortunately she ended up getting pregnant. Reis and her daughter both described their first conversation about birth control as "embarrassing." But because of this conversation, Reis knew that her daughter was on the pill and being careful. Her daughter benefited from her mother's knowledge and support (Tulmello). Being able to speak with her mom openly about sex and birth control made Reis' daughter much more comfortable going on the pill. She didn't have to worry about not knowing certain things and knew she was able to speak to her mom about any questions she has on the topic. Knowing there is someone to talk to about sex and any questions that may arise is very beneficial to young adults so they aren't left questioning certain things.
Abstinence-only sex education is beginning to become more and more out of date. "Behind the trend in lower birthrates for teens...is 'more effective' sex education," says Planned Parenthood Vice President, Leslie Kantor. "Whether it's in the public school system or community-based venues, we've really learned over the last 20 years what kinds of programs help young people to really change their behavior" (Tulmello). After many years of studies and research, it is becoming more evident on the way teens should be educated. Although school is the place where you can educate the biggest group of teens at once, the community needs to be supportive of teaching students about contraceptives, as well. "For over two decades, the federal government has sunk millions of taxpayer dollars into abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. While these programs often replace more comprehensive sexuality education courses, they rarely provide information on even the most basic topics in human sexuality such as puberty, reproductive anatomy, and sexual health, and they have never been proven effective" ("Comprehensive Sexuality Education"). The belief of abstinence-only has been popular for quite some time now. This type of education may have been the best type for the time period then, times have changed. Sex and sexuality is all over. Adolescents and teens need to be aware what is happening with their bodies. Many people are still following traditions and customs from over fifty years ago, even though times have greatly changed since then. One of human beings' strongest instincts is sexual. Up until the 1960's, those feelings were held in and teenagers were convinced that terrible things would happen to them if they acted upon those instincts (Anderson). In the 1960's, sexual instincts began to become more public. At this time, the beliefs and feelings of what students should be taught should have been re-evaluated, also. According to Anderson, "we need an all-out assault on teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and plain ignorance. It's time to admit that Christian girls get pregnant out of wedlock and catch venereal disease, too. Pretending we're still living in the pre-'60s sexual revolution doesn't make it so." The belief of abstinence-only is extremely out of date. We are no longer in the past. Over fifty years has passed and times have changed; sexual education needs to change, also.
Many individuals in the United States are not comfortable with or ready for this change. Although hard to up and change something that has been common for such a long time, there are ways to ease into the change and make everyone happy, as well as providing teens with the knowledge and resources they need. National groups in education and health have created what they believe are the minimum standards of sexual education that students should be taught in school (Shah). These standards of education begin as early as kindergarten. By second grade, students should be able to name basic male and female body parts and express healthy ways to express feelings to each other. By fifth grade, they should be able to explain all different types of changes that occur during puberty. In junior high school, they should learn about sexually transmitted diseases and make them aware of how they are and are not transmitted. At the end of high school, student should all know the signs of pregnancy and know all the steps to deciding whether to be abstinent or how to properly use contraceptives (Shah). These standards provide a common-ground for pro-contraceptives advocates as well as those who believe in abstinence-only. Students will be getting all of the basic information about the body and different contraceptive information that is necessary to know, as well as being able to know how to make the decision of remaining abstinent if they choose to do so.
The debate between abstinence and contraceptive education in high school has been going on for many years. Unfortunately, it will most likely continue to be a debate for many years to come if something is not done about it immediately. Abstinence-only activists, as well as pro-contraceptive supporters, truly need to do their research and realize what is best for the upcoming generations. One of the main goals for sexual education is to inform students and reduce the number of teenage pregnancies and STD's. Numerous studies and statistics lead to abstinence-only being ineffective in many aspects. Not only are young adults much less educated, but abstinence-only is not reducing the number of pregnancies in teens. The idea of abstinence-only is very outdated and needs to be changed in order to help young adults reduce being misinformed and also decrease the risk of unplanned pregnancy.
