http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/should-abstinence-only-sex-ed-be-taught-in-public-schools Opposing Views - Should 'Abstinence-Only' Sex-Ed be Taught in Public Schools? http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/abstinence-only-education-can-cost-lives In an ideal world, each and every young person would have the opportunity to choose to abstain until they decide they are ready. Unfortunately, this is often not the case.   In many African nations and other developing nations... APHA Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:28:13 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/abstinence-only-education-can-cost-lives http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/parents-actually-want-abstinence-taught-in-conjunction-with-safe-sex It’s misleading to support abstinence-only education by simply stating that parents believe that teens should be taught abstinence. While it is the case that many parents want their children to wait until they are adults to become sexually acti... APHA Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:28:04 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/parents-actually-want-abstinence-taught-in-conjunction-with-safe-sex http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/but-abstinence-only-education-doesnt Abstinence and abstinence-only education are two very different things. Abstinence is the best way to keep teens safe from sexually transmitted disease and unplanned pregnancy and can certainly reduce the economic and social costs of these negative... APHA Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:27:58 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/but-abstinence-only-education-doesnt http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/but-teaching-abstinence-and-contraception-works-even-better Although not necessarily their objective, the argument above provides compelling evidence for why a comprehensive sexual education curriculum is best. The authors cite a CDC study that concluded that... APHA Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:27:58 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/but-teaching-abstinence-and-contraception-works-even-better http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/teens-want-information The same study cited above that found that most teens b elieve that teens should be given a strong abstinence message also found that 81 percent of teens wish young people were getting more information about abstinence and contraception. Only 2... APHA Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:27:58 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/teens-want-information http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/abstinence-and-contraception The American public does not view messages that encourage young people to delay sexual activity and messages that encourage sexually active teens to use contraception as competing messages.  Instead, most adults and teens seem to view them as... National Campaign Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:18:31 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/abstinence-and-contraception http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/putting-health-first We agree these forces are too powerful to counter without a strong moral foundation. A good start would be for schools to quit sending mixed messages about what is right when it comes to teen sex, and begin to create a culture that encourages... Lifeway Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:07:38 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/putting-health-first http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/consensus Where is the evidence of “a clear national consensus” that teens should be provided with information about contraception? To the contrary, what the American public wants is a strong abstinence message: 94 percent of teenagers... Lifeway Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:07:36 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/consensus http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/knowledge-is-power In the battle between abstinence and contraception, we come down squarely on the side of science. Surely The National Campaign is not suggesting abstinence is not a scientifically valid way to prevent unwanted pregnancies and... Lifeway Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:07:34 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/knowledge-is-power http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/yes-but Teens are indeed at risk for STIs, unintended pregnancies and HIV. Despite widespread education about these risks and about birth-control methods, scores of teens are not keeping themselves safe when they engage in sex. The problem is not a lack of... Lifeway Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:07:31 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/yes-but http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/conflicting-messages Teaching sex education in a contraception-plus-abstinence format sends mixed and confusing messages to youth. It’s basically saying “don’t have sex outside of marriage, but when you do….” The underlying message is that teens are... Lifeway Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:07:31 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/conflicting-messages http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/ultimately-safe Public schools should always present and advocate the highest health standard for our children. Without a doubt, abstinence is the healthiest choice for unmarried youth because it is the only sure way to avoid pregnancies and sexually transmitted... Lifeway Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:07:21 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/ultimately-safe http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/sex-education-programs-are-not-enough Programs that are effective at delaying teen sexual activity, improving contraceptive use, and/or preventing teen pregnancy exist and should be expanded. However, it is unrealistic to assume that sex education alone will solve the problem of teen... National Campaign Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:26:06 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/sex-education-programs-are-not-enough http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/what-the-american-public-wants The clear national consensus—among adults and teens alike—is that teens should be given a clear message that delaying sexual activity is the right thing to do because of the numerous important consequences of sexual acti... National Campaign Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:25:55 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/what-the-american-public-wants http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-weight-of-evidence A growing number of sex education programs that support both abstinence and the use of contraception have now shown positive effects in delaying sex, improving contraceptive use, and preventing pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease among teens. National Campaign Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:25:50 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-weight-of-evidence http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/less-sex-more-contraception Since the early 1990s, the teen pregnancy rate has declined 38% and the teen birth rate has plummeted by one-third. There has been progress in all 50 states and among all racial/ethnic groups. By any measure, this is an extraordinary success story... National Campaign Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:25:33 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/less-sex-more-contraception http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/more-is-less The real problem with comprehensive sex education is that we had "comprehensive contraceptive education" beginning in the 1970s and in its full-blown "beauty" in the 1980s. The rise of STD’s and out-of-wedlock pregnancy were phenomenal. Parents... Teen-Aid Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:25:16 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/more-is-less http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/medically-accurate The contrast between programs is that abstinence programs tell the medically accurate truth, that condoms have an annual failure rate. This means that the more one relies (exposures) or the longer (number of years) one relies on a condom to protect... Teen-Aid Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:25:13 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/medically-accurate http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/effectiveness The number of students who are sexually active is at an all-time low and the number of pregnant teens is at a 65 year low. Granted some teens are using contraceptives, but a major portion of the reduction of sexual activity is due to abstinence... Teen-Aid Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:25:11 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/effectiveness http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/abstinence-education-is-mis-named First it is necessary to clear up the misnomer of "abstinence -- only" education. There is no such thing; programs teaching abstinence until marriage teach many important life skills. The following list is a sample of what is in one of the first and... Teen-Aid Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:25:08 -0800 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/abstinence-education-is-mis-named