Why abstinence-only sex education doesn’t work
The public school system in America has been graded to one of the worst in the world. The average high school student can’t tell you who the last 4 presidents were but can tell you who won American Idol in the last 4 years. Most students don’t understand or have a desire to read literature. Shakespeare, for most students, is something that they read once and forget. Spelling and grammar have gotten so poor that it must be taught in college.
But the one thing that American students know more than any other country is how to put a condom on. They can tell you the difference between an STD and a blister. They can’t tell you how many amendments the Constitution but they have no problem telling you that having safe sex is better than no sex.
I grew up in the public school system. They taught me math, science, some grammar, very little history. But where they didn’t skimp was the sex-ed. I always thought that public education was free from politics but I realized way too late that I was wrong.
The government has a vested interested in the education of the youth. Afterall, these are the people who will one day be the leaders of our nation. But why in the world does little Timmy need to know where his penis goes?!
The reason why abstinence-only sex education doesn’t work is not because of it’s perceived morality. Frankly, I don’t understand the morality behind it. Abstinence just makes common sense. If you don’t have the means to support a baby, then don’t have sex! You can have all the protection in the world. You can even get a vasectomy but there is still a chance that you can get pregnant.
Teachers that teach abstinence-only teach it like it’s something you don’t really want. They tell you what sex is, how it “benefits” a relationship, why it’s natural…and then they tell kids, “Oh, but you should only have sex when you’re ready.”
I don’t understand how we allow teenagers who are still understanding who they are and don’t know the full extent of the consequences of their actions to do some stupid things. Not only do allow them to do stupid things, we actually teach them to do stupid things. “Sure, go to an unsupervised party. Stay up all night! Touch the cornballer!”
I wish more parents today became an active participant in their children’s lives. Not to the point of becoming a helicopter parent, but enough where they know what’s going on in their kids lives.
The only 100% way of not getting pregnant or getting an STD is by staying abstinent. Period.