Abstinence-only education a problem in American public schools
I’m not normally a fan of bringing sex into the discussion about politics. Although the two are so intertwined with each other, thanks to the abortion debate and our bizarre obsession over a politician’s sex life (evident in the sex scandal involving former Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York), I didn’t feel there was a story until recently that could merit a discussion outside of sexual peccadilloes and discussions of morality in our public leaders, even though most of us barely fit that bill in our daily lives.
A TV station in Orlando, Fla. last week reported a survey’s findings of Floridian teens in regards to the sexual education system in the state. Florida is one of a handful of states in the country that cater toward abstinence-only sex education (a mostly Republican concoction that, just by looking at recent headlines, holds its own set of contradictions). The survey also showed that some teens believe smoking marijuana can prevent a woman from becoming pregnant.
On the surface, this looks harmless and worthy of nothing but a hearty chuckle at Florida. I mean, over the past eight years, there have been many reasons, like the smoking marijuana belief, to laugh or chuck bottles of Jack Daniels along with jugs of Moonshine at the state of Florida. Upon further review, though, there is much more to be concerned and angry about. This study is only the latest in a series of criticisms that have been leveled at abstinence-only education.
A simple Google search of “abstinence-only education studies” reveals 267,000 hits on the topic. Many of them involve articles and studies from 2005. There are also links to blurbs from the two congressionally-funded studies on abstinence-only programs such as the Waxman Report in 2004. Each of these pieces of information connects to one basic truth: Teaching abstinence-only sex education does not work.
Does the blame for this program’s existence fall squarely on Republicans? Not all of it, no. Some of the blame may rest on abstinence-only education’s initial momentum in the ‘80s under President Ronald Reagan and heavy funding for it under George W. Bush’s presidency with help from the Republican Congress. But I’d be careless not to mention that this idea started in 1996 under President Bill Clinton. So there’s plenty of blame to spread around here.
I’m not knocking the concept of abstinence until marriage. As an ideal, it is a perfectly legitimate option for any teen or twenty-something. But each new report reinforces the simple fact that abstinence and abstinence-only education cannot be the only answer.
Will this warning be followed? Given the United States public’s past in regards to talking about sex, I’m not that confident.
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