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Abstinence-only education doesn't work

5 Reasons Abstinence-Only Education Is A Bad Idea

With over 850,000 teen pregnancies each year and over 9 million sexually transmitted infections experienced by youth under 25 in the United States, this is a problem that needs to be addressed. Even though the United States government has spent over 1 billion dollars supporting abstinence-only sex education programs, almost half of all teenagers have participated in sex by the age of 18. 

Since preaching about waiting until marriage is clearly not working, why is this still such a common practice in our public schools? Here are the reasons why abstinence-only sex education should become a thing of the past.

Teen Pregnancy Rates are Higher

Though the teen pregnancy rates are declining as a whole, in the states that have abstinence-only mandates, teen birth rates are much higher. For example, in states such as Mississippi that promote abstinence-only education, 55 out of every 1,000 teen girls will give birth. However, in a state like New Hampshire that offers comprehensive, medically accurate sex education, only 16 out of every 1,000 teenage girls will get pregnant.

Sex Education Should Happen Sooner

Though many supporters of abstinence-only education take issue with mandated sex education for every grade level, this has been proven to prevent sexual crimes, since kids will feel confident about speaking up about anything that makes them feel uncomfortable. 

Abstinence-Only Education Often Includes Gender Discrimination and Scare Tactics

States that receive funding for abstinence-only education must adhere to a strict narrative. This usually includes statements like “Sex outside of marriage will damage your mental and physical health,” and, “Abstinence is the only way to avoid getting pregnant or contracting an STI.”

In addition to this, young girls who are sexually active are often compared to something dirty and used. A common practice is to have students unwrap a piece of candy, then pass it around the class and pay attention to how contaminated it becomes—then equate this to any girls who have sex before marriage.

Teens Are Turning to Dubious Sources for Information

Without anyone else to talk to about actual sexual health information, teens are turning to the internet instead. However, this can be dangerous, since many of the websites about this subject contain inaccurate information. In a recent study that examined 177 sexual health websites, 46% were inaccurate about contraception and 35% contained inaccurate information about abortion.

Contraception Isn't Discussed 

Although 93% of teens will receive formal instruction about STIs and HIV, up to one-third of them have never had any formal instruction about contraception. 84% of teens will learn about abstinence, but 41% will know nothing about condoms, and up to 75% have never been introduced to the birth control pill.

Only 5% of high schools in the United States have made condoms available to their students. Even though this will not affect the rates of sexual activity, it can significantly increase the rates of safer sex. 

Last Updated: October 15, 2020