Should sex-education classes teach abstinence only?
by Sara Ring
December 2, 2007
When it comes to teens and sex, recent studies show that "Just Say No" isn’t working. In fact, students who receive abstinence-only sex education are no more likely to refrain from sex than their peers. In response to these reports, fourteen states have stopped accepting federal funds to run abstinence-only programs that were intended to eliminate pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among teens. Rather than tout the virtues of virginity, these states now emphasize the importance of condoms and birth control to minimize, if not eliminate, the risks involved with sexual activity. But many parents and educators maintain that chastity is the best and only message adults should send to kids about sex. Can abstinence-only education work, or is sex between teens inevitable? Tell us what you think.
Links:
[1] http://www.edutopia.org/sara-ring
[2] http://www.edutopia.org/node/5045/results
[3] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/12/AR2007111201716.html "target="new
[4] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8470845 "target="new
[5] http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/09/states_refraining_from_abstinence_only_sex_education "target="new
[6] http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,308898,00.html "target="new
[7] http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1109/p12s01-legn.html "target="new