The internet was a-buzz this week with posts and links about President Obama's new budget that has removed funding for abstinence-only sexuality education.Stopping short of opening up a funding stream for comprehensive sexuality education, this budget proposal does include money for teen pregnancy prevention.
What's the difference?
Abstinence-only programs have been the mainstay of "sexuality education" for almost two decades, funded by over $1.5 Billion of federal funds. Research has clearly shown that these programs do not reach their goal of reducing teen pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. You may recall the recent CDC study showing one in four teenage girls in our country has a sexually transmitted infection. But possibly the most disturbing and dangerous aspect of the ab-only movement has been lack of regulation and consistency in programs offered, other than mandates such as emphasizing failure rates if speaking about contraception at all. Here are links to two videos showing how some of your tax dollars have been used:
Derek the Abstinence Clown (video at bottom of post)
Abstinence Rock: No Safe Way (for full effect, watch till the end and pay special attention to the screen in the back of the video).
Teen pregnancy prevention programs focus on, well, preventing teen pregnancy. This is a noble goal. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, one-third of girls in America have been pregnant at least once by age 20. Younger moms tend to have less prenatal care, are less likely to finish school, and are more likely to end up having children with special medical and educational needs, as well as more likely to end up living in poverty.
Comprehensive Sexuality Education, on the other hand, incorporates abstinence education, pregnancy prevention, as well as disease prevention. It also uses medically and scientifically accurate information about contraception, pregnancy options, and disease prevention and treatment. Many comprehensive sexuality education programs also include information for all sexual orientations. In addition, most also deal with relationship issues, value clarification, and discussion of options for sexual expression in between abstinence until marriage and sexual intercourse.
Scaring teens with information from clowns and hard rockers is patronizing. While most teens suffer to some extent from not knowing what they don't know, it is better to give them information--factual, trustworthy information, and help them learn discernment and decision-making skills. Respecting their ability to make good decisions, in my experience, goes a lot further than scare tactics, misinformation and wishful thinking.
For more information on how to talk to teens about different aspects of sexuality, check out this series of articles in my column "Sex in the Suburbs." Get informed and keep talking to your teens!!
Amy Johnson, MSW, is a Personal Life and Parent Coach who is passionate about working with parents regarding balance, self-care and faith and sexuality. To read more by Amy, go to Diligent Joy Blog. Amy is also a member of the Best Parent Coaching Directory. Click here to contact Amy.
