>Personally, I doubt the efficacy of school-provided sexual education. In the most recent survey by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy only 4% of teens cited teachers and educators as the most influential in their decisions about sex, far behind parents (46%), friends (20%) or religious leaders (7%). While they might not cite them as influential, every study I've ever heard about that actually looks at the results shows that there's significantly fewer instances of teen pregnancy in areas that have real sex ed than in areas with abstinence-only sex education.
While I certainly believe it's true that the majority of teens who have had sex regret not waiting longer, it's also true that 100% of teens who've had sex have had sex, and I'd wager that the vast majority of those teens were told not to have sex too early. The ones who got more than just an abstinence-only education are just a lot more likely to regret it in a wistful "I wish I'd saved myself" way than in a "I ruined my life with a pregnancy or STD" way. It's not that people mock the idea of teen abstinence, it's that we mock the people who think the problem of teens having sex can be solved by telling them not to have it.
There is such a thing as abstinence inclusive or promoting curriculum, rather than an abstinence only. If you look at the first report I linked, you'll see that is clearly advocated by a majority of adults, and actually seems desired by the majority of teens (87% responded that it was important for parents to give a strong message to teens that they should not have sex until they are at least out of high school).
Between the desire for more parental input (particularly on relationships) and gross misperception of peer behavior (especially with decline over the past 10-15 years), it seems likely that many of the kids who did regret sexual activity may have avoided it with clearer guidance and more realistic view of what is normal.
That is not to dismiss the importance of the information - as noted in the report, there is evidence that teens do not see education as advocacy - but to combat the perception that teen sex is an inevitability, so you best just give your blessing and a steady supply of prophylactics.
Well that's a bit of a strawman, since I don't think anyone's badmouthing abstinence inclusive sex education or even sex education that focuses on abstinence as the best option. In fact, I don't think there are any sex education programs out there that don't stress abstinence, since it's the only real 100% effective method of preventing pregnancy and STIs. The thing us lefties disparage are programs that focus just on abstinence to the exclusion of everything else since it's just unrealistic.
I.e., the right way to go about it is to not give your blessing...but do supply the prophylactics, because a certain large percentage of kids are going to have sex anyway, and even their most trusted and respected authority figures saying "Don't have sex" aren't going to be 100% effective in the face of millions of years of evolution urging you with every fiber of your body to go out and try to reproduce. Remember, another thing that 100% of kids have in common: They come from a very long line of people (and before that, ape-like proto-humans, and lemur-like proto-apes, and so on) who had sex. The people who are really good at abstinence don't pass on those skills to the next generation.
It would be a strawman if all approaches to comprehensive curriculum were equivalent, which they aren't, so it's not. There is a fundamental disconnect between the idea that chastity is a realistic and desirable goal and the idea that adolescent sex is an inevitably, so you best provide information early and often, often without regard for parental oversight or consent. There is a significant difference between a curriculum that stresses abstinence as the norm, and one that presents it as merely one birth control option among many. And there are potentially stark differences between a school which provides contraception on request, if at all, and one that hands out condoms proactively, provides hormonal birth control to pre-teens or arranges abortions for students without parental notification.
There are certainly arguments to be made for both ends of the spectrum. Failure to create an expectation of abstinence can leave students more vulnerable to peer and media pressure, while an overtly judgmental environment may discourage active teens from openly discussing issues or seeking information. I personally believe that the top priority needs to be providing a counterbalance to natural adolescent urges (including the urge to feel "grown up"), peer pressure (fueled as much by misconception as reality) and cultural sexualization of children.
The comment about people practices in abstinence not passing on their skills is just silly. Aside from human extinction advocates, no one is arguing for universal life long abstinence. And the demographic most prone to reproduce is also the demographic that preaches chastity.
While they might not cite them as influential, every study I've ever heard about that actually looks at the results shows that there's significantly fewer instances of teen pregnancy in areas that have real sex ed than in areas with abstinence-only sex education.
While I certainly believe it's true that the majority of teens who have had sex regret not waiting longer, it's also true that 100% of teens who've had sex have had sex, and I'd wager that the vast majority of those teens were told not to have sex too early. The ones who got more than just an abstinence-only education are just a lot more likely to regret it in a wistful "I wish I'd saved myself" way than in a "I ruined my life with a pregnancy or STD" way. It's not that people mock the idea of teen abstinence, it's that we mock the people who think the problem of teens having sex can be solved by telling them not to have it.
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Between the desire for more parental input (particularly on relationships) and gross misperception of peer behavior (especially with decline over the past 10-15 years), it seems likely that many of the kids who did regret sexual activity may have avoided it with clearer guidance and more realistic view of what is normal.
That is not to dismiss the importance of the information - as noted in the report, there is evidence that teens do not see education as advocacy - but to combat the perception that teen sex is an inevitability, so you best just give your blessing and a steady supply of prophylactics.
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I.e., the right way to go about it is to not give your blessing...but do supply the prophylactics, because a certain large percentage of kids are going to have sex anyway, and even their most trusted and respected authority figures saying "Don't have sex" aren't going to be 100% effective in the face of millions of years of evolution urging you with every fiber of your body to go out and try to reproduce. Remember, another thing that 100% of kids have in common: They come from a very long line of people (and before that, ape-like proto-humans, and lemur-like proto-apes, and so on) who had sex. The people who are really good at abstinence don't pass on those skills to the next generation.
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There are certainly arguments to be made for both ends of the spectrum. Failure to create an expectation of abstinence can leave students more vulnerable to peer and media pressure, while an overtly judgmental environment may discourage active teens from openly discussing issues or seeking information. I personally believe that the top priority needs to be providing a counterbalance to natural adolescent urges (including the urge to feel "grown up"), peer pressure (fueled as much by misconception as reality) and cultural sexualization of children.
The comment about people practices in abstinence not passing on their skills is just silly. Aside from human extinction advocates, no one is arguing for universal life long abstinence. And the demographic most prone to reproduce is also the demographic that preaches chastity.
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