Several years ago, as a high school freshman in upstate New York, Shawn Carney heard a presentation by a group called Advocates for Youth. The speaker explained how the organization fights to ensure every student’s right to comprehensive sex education — to learn about birth control and safer sex, as well as about abstinence, in school.
“I thought they were amazing,” says Shawn, now 19. “Comprehensive education is important because not everyone chooses the same path when they become sexually active. It’s important to stress the fact that abstinence is the 100-percent way to avoid infection and pregnancy. But if you’re not going to take that path, you need to know how to protect yourself.”
Sean signed up on the spot to help Advocates for Youth fight for comprehensive sex ed. Before long, he found himself delivering a speech of his own at a conference in Washington, DC, on behalf of Advocates for Youth. “Ever since then it’s kind of snowballed,” says Shawn. “I haven’t stopped.”
The Problem with Abstinence-Only Education
According to Advocates for Youth, more than one-third of all U.S. schools censor information on birth control and safer sex. In addition, nearly $500 million in government funding has been set aside to teach teens that abstinence until marriage is the only acceptable standard of sexual behavior.
This, says Advocates for Youth Vice President Debra Hauser, is simply unacceptable. “We can’t expect anybody — young people or adults — to make good decisions about their behavior and especially their sexual behavior without good information,” says Hauser. “By censoring information as is done in abstinence-only programs, people are left without all the information they need.”
Abstinence-only education has done more than leave out vital information. A report issued by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) in December 2004 found that more than two-thirds of government-funded abstinence-only programs contain misleading or inaccurate information about sex.
Studies show that comprehensive sex education programs are the most effective in reducing teens’ risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. And comprehensive sex education doesn’t make teens more likely to have sex. In fact, one recent study at Texas A&M; University found that students were actually more sexually active after being exposed to abstinence-only sex education than before they went through the program.
Working Toward a Solution
Kayley Harrington, state policy coordinator at Advocates for Youth, offers three steps teens can take to get involved in the fight for comprehensive sex ed:
1. “The first thing to do is educate yourself and know exactly what the issue is,” says Harrington. “If you’re getting abstinence-only education, it’s important to know what your school’s policy is and to find out whether it’s a policy problem or an implementation problem and how widespread it is.” In other words, does your school have a policy that prevents teachers from talking about birth control? Or is this decision left up to the teachers themselves?
Meanwhile, says Harrington, do some research on comprehensive sex ed, find out exactly what it entails, and learn about the dangers of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. The purpose: to become fluent in the subject before you take the next step.
2. “Once you’ve gathered all of this information, start educating others,” says Harrington. “Get the word out and let people know what’s going on.” This can be as simple as talking to other students or writing an opinion piece in the school paper. The idea is to make people — friends, parents, teachers, and the community — aware of the issues.
3. Finally, develop a plan of action. “Do something,” says Harrington. “Do a petition drive at your school and get students to sign on. Organize a letter-writing campaign targeted at the school board or whoever is implementing the policies. Or go directly to the school board and make a presentation.”
All of these things require preparation, of course. To get started, check out Advocates’ online tools, and Planned Parenthood’s R.E.A.L. Life Kit.
Abstinence-Only Sex Ed Gets an “F”
How can I, as a teen, help convince the school board we need sex education?