Comprehensive Sex Education

Comprehensive Sex Education – An Unbiased Approach
Brandy Robbins
Post University

Comprehensive Sex Education – An Unbiased Approach
Concern for public health and safety have resulted in regulations of medical practices to standards of living enforced by social services and so on; sex education for today’s youth should be based on this same premise, to control the risks that are involved with the sexual activity of youth in the U.S. which are a potential threats to public health and safety. Among these concerns for youth who become sexually active outside of the context of marriage are the threat of STI’s and HIV and unwanted pregnancy. Looking at sex education from the perspective of public health and safety, it is clear that the most logical approach to effective sex education for today’s youth is the comprehensive approach which address several options for protecting oneself from the risks of sexual activity, as opposed to the abstinence only approach which has a biased “one solution for all” approach that does not address youth who are at a high risk for negative outcomes of sexual activity.
Public Health and Safety Concerns
STI’s & HIV According to Collins, Alagiri, & Summers (2002), nearly four million youth will be infected with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and there are approximately 10,000 new cases of HIV in individuals ages 22 and under each year (p.11). The numbers clearly show that some young Americans have had sex outside of the context of marriage and have done it unsafely or used protection incorrectly. It is a public health and safety concern to make sure that young Americans are not only educated about STI’s and HIV but that they are also taught how to properly protect themselves if they do engage in sexual activity.

Unwanted Teen Pregnancy Another risk for young Americans who become sexually active without proper education is teen pregnancy. Teen pregnancy can cause emotional and physical stresses to the teen mother and father as well as the baby and another issue with youth who become parents is that it lowers their chances of finishing school (Center for National Disease Control, 2013). Babies who are repeat births are more likely to have a low birth weight which puts the baby’s health at risk and for some teen parent’s, parenthood can be a source of emotional, physical, and financial stress which can cause developmental issues as teens mature and move through the life stages. There are many reasons to educate youth on how to prevent pregnancy and it is a public health and safety concern to do so.
Abstinence Only vs. Comprehensive Sex Education
Abstinence Only Sex Education
Abstinence only education only provides one option for protecting against STI’s/HIV and pregnancy and that is abstinence, it does not address the subject of contraception, abortion, or condom use. Abstinence only programs are based on the premise that the only acceptable context for sexual activity is in the confines of marriage (Collins, Alagiri, & Summers, 2002, p. 11), but this overlooks the gay and lesbian population of youth who even as adults, are not allowed to marry in many states. Abstinence only education does not teach today’s youth how to protect themselves if they do become sexually active and discriminates against the minority of youth who are gay and lesbian by stating that the only acceptable context for sexual activity is in the confines of marriage, which is not even possible for many gay and lesbian couples. According to Goodwin & Mosher (2010), 28% of men and women had lived together before marriage and 15% had lived together and never married, because so many couples are choosing to cohabitate before and sometimes instead of marrying, it is important to have a sex education program that considers the possibility of sexual activity outside of the context of marriage and educate youth on how to protect themselves in those situations.
Comprehensive Sex Education Comprehensive sex education promotes abstinence but also educates youth on STI’s/HIV, teen pregnancy, condoms, abortion and stresses the importance of protection against the risks associated with premarital sex. With hundreds of thousands of new cases of sexually transmitted diseases each year it is in the best interest of public health and safety to educate youth on the importance of safe sex practices to try to prevent as many new cases as possible. Because comprehensive sex education offers options to those who want to abstain from sexual activity outside the context of marriage and options to those who do not wait until marriage, it is the most logical and effective method of sex education for today’s youth.
Conclusion
Many couples today choose to cohabitate instead of marrying and gay and lesbian couples are not allowed to marry in some states, therefore choosing a sex education program based on the idea that the only acceptable context for sexual activity is in the confines of marriage is an unrealistic and ineffective method for educating today’s youth on sex and it’s risks and the ways to protect themselves against those risks. Comprehensive sex education addresses all of these issues and provides more than one option for protecting oneself against the risks of premarital sex and accordingly is the more logical method for educating young Americans about responsible sexual behavior.
References
Center for National Disease Control. (2013, 04 25). Breaking the cylce of teen pregnancy. Retrieved from Center for National Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/features/vitalsigns/TeenPregnancy/index.html
Collins, C., Alagiri, P., & Summers, T. (2002). Abstinence Only vs. Comprehensive Sex Education: What are the arguments? What is the evidence? San Fransisco: Progressive Health Partners.
Goodwin, P., & Mosher, C. A. (2010). Marriage and cohabitation in the United States: A statistical portrait based on Cycle 6 (2002) of the National Survey of Family Growth. Washington: National Center for Health Statistics.

References: Center for National Disease Control. (2013, 04 25). Breaking the cylce of teen pregnancy. Retrieved from Center for National Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/features/vitalsigns/TeenPregnancy/index.html Collins, C., Alagiri, P., & Summers, T. (2002). Abstinence Only vs. Comprehensive Sex Education: What are the arguments? What is the evidence? San Fransisco: Progressive Health Partners. Goodwin, P., & Mosher, C. A. (2010). Marriage and cohabitation in the United States: A statistical portrait based on Cycle 6 (2002) of the National Survey of Family Growth. Washington: National Center for Health Statistics.