In modern sex education abstinence is the core foundation of teaching for 25 states in the U.S.. According to the Guttmacher Institute, nineteen states teach the importance of sex only within marriage, while thirteen states stress the negative outcomes of teen sex (Week 2, Lesson B). These teachings restrict important knowledge of sexual health. For those individuals who do not wait until marriage, the lack of knowledge can have heavy repercussions. However, regardless if an individual practices abstinence or not, abstinence-only sex education does not provide the necessary information for a person to lead a healthy sex life due to the exclusion of vital information about intersex conditions and failing to give women correct and full information
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This woman also stated that she remembers the terms “sex” and “gender” being used interchangeably in her education. Though sex is a difference of biology between reproductive bodies and gender is the cultural and social connotations attached to biological sex, my interviewee was never taught the difference in her abstinence only education (Week 1, Lesson A). In fact, she was taught that sex was such a binary that males and females did not share the same hormones. Not only did she miss the fact that her body produced androgens like testosterone, she also did not know that this hormone was necessary for her development (Whatley and Worcester, 167). Though this may seem like a minuscule fact to miss in education, however it aids to point out that there is important knowledge of sexual health not being covered in abstinence-only …show more content…
Her abstinence-only education not only failed to explain the organ to her, but also gave a misrepresentation of the actual size of the organ. Female pleasure points are looked over so often that textbooks do not even give an accurate depiction of a clitoris (Whatley and Worcester, 454). When women are taught abstinence-only, they become unaware of what their bodies are capable of. In relationships, the woman’s orgasm is not focused on or is thought of as impossible do to the cultural norm that women’s orgasms are not necessary. In this way, abstinence-only education can also hurt relationships. Because women’s orgasms are not being attended to, they may get frustrated and just cease to have sex so they can avoid the frustration. The partner in the relationship may see this as a lack of sex drive or desire for intimacy making them feel neglected. Having frustration and feelings of neglect in a relationship not only hurts the two individuals but also the relationship as a whole (Whatley and Worcester, 470-474). Excluding women’s pleasure in abstinence-only sex education leaves women frustrated and relationships struggling creating the need for more thorough education of the woman’s
This woman also stated that she remembers the terms “sex” and “gender” being used interchangeably in her education. Though sex is a difference of biology between reproductive bodies and gender is the cultural and social connotations attached to biological sex, my interviewee was never taught the difference in her abstinence only education (Week 1, Lesson A). In fact, she was taught that sex was such a binary that males and females did not share the same hormones. Not only did she miss the fact that her body produced androgens like testosterone, she also did not know that this hormone was necessary for her development (Whatley and Worcester, 167). Though this may seem like a minuscule fact to miss in education, however it aids to point out that there is important knowledge of sexual health not being covered in abstinence-only …show more content…
Her abstinence-only education not only failed to explain the organ to her, but also gave a misrepresentation of the actual size of the organ. Female pleasure points are looked over so often that textbooks do not even give an accurate depiction of a clitoris (Whatley and Worcester, 454). When women are taught abstinence-only, they become unaware of what their bodies are capable of. In relationships, the woman’s orgasm is not focused on or is thought of as impossible do to the cultural norm that women’s orgasms are not necessary. In this way, abstinence-only education can also hurt relationships. Because women’s orgasms are not being attended to, they may get frustrated and just cease to have sex so they can avoid the frustration. The partner in the relationship may see this as a lack of sex drive or desire for intimacy making them feel neglected. Having frustration and feelings of neglect in a relationship not only hurts the two individuals but also the relationship as a whole (Whatley and Worcester, 470-474). Excluding women’s pleasure in abstinence-only sex education leaves women frustrated and relationships struggling creating the need for more thorough education of the woman’s