Abstinence programs disingenuous to reality

Sex education in public schools is always a highly debated issue. Having graduated from a Texas public school, myself and students at my former high school were taught about abstinence alone. I remember every year around the same time a group would come in and talk about why abstinence is important. In the back of the room students would joke about the program and its ineffectiveness, mainly because teenage girls at our school were constantly becoming pregnant. The question on my mind at the time was why are public schools not at least informing students on how to protect themselves? It is still a valid question today.

Of the six million pregnancies that occur in the United States each year, half are unintended pregnancies. Of those unintended pregnancies 1.3 million end in abortion. The United States has one of the highest rates of unintended pregnancies for any industrialized country. There is a definite correlation between our attitudes on sex education and pregnancies compared to those of other countries. Countries like Sweden, and France have low rates of teenage pregnancy. They are also far more open minded about their sex education.

Without programs to teach sex education, a majority of teens get their information from either friends, or entertainment sources. This is where myths breed life and spread among a teenage population. Having taken a human sexuality course recently, a video the instructor showed us at the beginning of the class is still fresh in my mind. The video was a documentary about a group of middle class students who contracted syphilis. Syphilis is one of the less common sexually transmitted diseases. The town itself was in uproar about how to better teach students. Even though the outbreak was severe, the town felt like continuing with abstinence programs would be effective.

Many proponents of abstinence programs feel that informing students about how to prevent pregnancy and protect against STDS sends a mixed signal to students and overall downplays the message at hand. Take a look at Texas for instance. Currently the policy on sex education in Texas schools is that only abstinence should be taught. Texas has the fifth highest teenage birthrate in the country. Texas Medicaid pays an average of $420 million dollars on births alone each year. Of that $420 million, 10 percent were to teenage mothers at a cost of $41 million. Given numbers like these I think it is safe to say abstinence alone education is not working in Texas schools. Teenage pregnancy adds a strain to government programs over bustled with problems to begin with.

Another positive side many proponents like to argue is that "just don't do it" campaigns are highly effective in many areas. Such as drinking and driving, guns, and gangs. But when looking back at the numbers is just teaching abstinence programs as effective, and as preventative as they should be? A sexually active teen that does not use contraceptives has a 90 percent chance of becoming pregnant within the first year. If abstinence only programs were effective I would be in favor of having those taught. But when looking at the statistics, and the situations it appears to me it is obviously falling short.

One of the biggest issues that concerns parents the most when it comes to sex education is whether or not it is appropriate for school. Those that are in support for sex education feel as if abstinence only programs are religious in nature and should not be used. I have to agree with this mainly because sex education is just what it states: education involving sex. And when it comes to a educational environment, youth should be taught the cons that go along with sex, as well as how to protect themselves.

I'm not saying teaching students the importance of being abstinent is a bad thing. I am however saying given the continuing trends we have seen with teenage pregnancy rates, and the continuing rise of STDS it is important to educate students about their options. Continuing to only want to teach abstinence is blatantly ignorant. Schools, and parents alike need to have a realistic view of the problem at hand.

Jennifer is a public relations senior from Rice.