The Benefits Of Abstinence-Only Education

‘Abstinence is key’ everybody claims, but not when it comes to educating our youth about safe sexual behavior. Many schools are beginning to introduce abstinence only education programs to their curriculum with the mentality that this will prevent high school students from engaging in sexual activity. This impractical method of prevention will not only hurt those being, or not being educated, it will also hinder our society. Abstinence-only education programs, many critics argue, use fear based models to scare teenagers into not engaging in sexual intercourse. Although this method may work for some, it is more dangerous than it seems. When the faulty of a school are required to answer any question with “Abstinence is the only way to prevent STD’s and teen pregnancy (Barlow).” Many schools districts enforce this on their staff by simply explaining, if they don’t [answer this way], they’re in danger of losing their job (Barlow).” If the staff and the role models of the school cannot answer students questions with something other than a modeled response formed by the school board, “they’re going to experiment- that will be their education (Barlow).” Put simply, abstinence only education for teens in high school does not prevent them from having sex. It simply “will put them at risk when they do become sexually active (Abstinence-Only Education).” Students are simply uninformed on how to have the safest sex possible because they have only ever heard about abstinence. The abstinence-only education program has seemed to “sacrifice science for political or religious ideology, (Abstinence-Only Education)” “frightening them with talk of pregnancy, gonorrhea, and herpes (Barlow).” Many protective parents have stressed all they want their teens to “delay sex and to have honest information about sexuality, including contraception (Abstinence- Only Education).” The abstinence-only education program has proven to be a failing system. …show more content…
For example, David Nocenti conducted a research study that proved that “Teen pregnancy rates are higher among those who receive abstinence-only education than those who get comprehensive sex-ed (Abstinence-Only Education).” This information is not astonishing when you realize those who are receiving abstinence-only education are not receiving the tools and insight of how to have safe sex when they do decide to become sexually active. Another study, conducted t John Hopkins University revealed that there were “few differences in sexual activity between students who were taught abstinence only education and those that were not (Abstinence-Only Education).” The only key difference between these two groups was that the “abstinence-only teens did not practice safe sex (Abstinence-Only Education). The reason for this group of teens to be practicing unsafe sex is because they have not been given the understanding or the tools to be able to be safe in the activity they are engaging in. Those in favor of abstinence-only education programs for teens will argue that there are many benefits to not adequately educating our youth. They believe that “it is ‘standard behavior for teens to abstain from sex until marriage (Abstinence-Only Education)”, as well as “various health benefits (Abstinence-Only Education).” What many of the supporters of this type of education tend to forget is that teens experience the world and what we are told in high school is taken with us throughout our life. Abstinence-only education “is