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Chelsea Thomas
Pear Final
Sex Class

Lets talk about sex. Now dont get too excited, Im really meaning sex education in the
United States. In the lovely state of Utah, I really grew up with two views of sexuality and what
it meant for me in the future. The religious crowd and government kept sex education to a
minimal in our high schools; minimal meaning it wasnt there. There wasnt even a blip about
abstinence in health class. But like any teenager who spent their time on the tv or computer, I got
my information from the media; and what a skewed and twisted version of sexuality it gave me.
When presented with the chance to really dig deep and learn about the sexual education
curriculum in our state, I jumped at the first sign of contraceptives.
Our country remains in a cultural divide between abstinence only or comprehensive sex
educations. Honestly there isnt much room for a happy medium. The history of sex education
starts with Washington. The government has always taken opinions from religious and social
groups in matters concerning the country, and sex education was no exception. The curriculum
for sex education was designed to be something states could customize for the needs of their
children and the desires of the parents (Freeman). The United States government has only funded
abstinence education programs in hopes that teen pregnancy and STI rates will go down, and yet
its still up for debate whether or not their efforts and money have made any progress. (StangerHall) In 2007, the amount of money spent on abstinence funding was about $176 million, a lot of
it going to the Bible Belt (Wilson). But its no secret that funding has always been heavily in
favor of abstinence only education, that is until President Obama took office, cutting the funding.

It always seems like the talk of abstinence brings a bad taste to young peoples mouths
but for older generations its the only kind of sex they know and advocate. In this very
sexualized, modern day, abstinence is deemed as inadequate, but is it really? Abstinence does
teach some valuable lessons if you consider what its peddling, but do those lessons really hold
any weight in todays society? After extensive research, Im prepared to discuss the role of
abstinence and its part in our education system.
Abstinence teaches teens to have meaningful relationships in marriage. In theory yes, but
thats assuming that teens are going to wait to have sex until theyre married, which doesnt
always happen according to plan. In some religious states its taught that waiting for marriage is
the only way to secure a happy and fulfilling relationship. Sex is more enjoyable when you do it
as a married couple. My own religious views had me believe that sex was supposed to be for
marriage but my life events changed that belief. That doesnt necessarily mean that my
relationship hasnt been meaningful, and thats where I think abstinence is wrong. Just because
marriage isnt part of the plan doesnt mean that teens or adults for that matter cant have
intimate and fulfilling relationships. In fact, teaching that sex can only be enjoyed in marriage
perpetuates the idea that sex is bad outside of marriage both morally and physically. But lets be
realistic here, just because a couple is married doesnt mean that the sex is good and their
relationship is flourishing. I will admit that sex inside marriage does seem more romantic and
trustworthy since youve made the commitment to be with each other. There is something quite
nice about the idea of picking someone to be with for the rest of your life and promising that
youll only be with them intimately. Realistically thats not how sexual intimacy works all the
time.

Abstinence stops teens from hooking up. I dont think theres a force on Earth that
could stop teens from hooking up. But honestly I dont believe that teens are going as
hormonally crazy as were led to believe. Abstinence teaches that you must maintain self-control
when it comes to sex, which isnt a bad thing at all, but the way that its taught implies that
students dont care for real relationships and are ricocheting from partner to partner
(Weissbourd.) But hooking up isnt an overlying theme for teen life. Richard Weissbourd and his
associates from Harvard University spent a few years surveying students from a variety of
different American colleges and high schools along with a Canadian high school to find out what
students really thought about sex, love, and what they wanted to learn from their sex education.
The results concluded that students are more interested in romantic and long term relationships
and they arent actually hooking up on a regular basis. From the high school sample of students,
only 19% wanted to be sexually active while still being single (Weissbourd). I was lead to
believe that hooking up was an everyday thing for teens only to find out that a small percentage
like to live that lifestyle. Of course for abstinence only preachers 19% still might seem like a big
issue, no hook ups are the only good hook ups seems to come to mind.
Abstinence is the only way to prevent STDs. I have to give abstinence credit, this
statement is very true. Between all the forms of contraception out there nothing is full proof, not
even condoms can prevent everything, but abstaining from sex can prevent all things from
STDs to pregnancy. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, 15 to 25 year
olds count for nearly half of the new STD cases diagnosed each year in the United States
(Yurieff). Personally, I take my statistics with a grain of salt, but the CDC has claimed that the
amount of STDs among young people is causing an epidemic in our country. Not really
something to be taken lightly. Abstinence may be the only way to really prevent STDs, but I

fully believe that it needs to be taught that condoms can and do have a positive effect against
these diseases, of course thats if theyre used properly. It shouldnt be an option whether or not
teens or ordinary people for that matter should be taught how to prevent STDs. Everyone has
the right to know when it comes to their health, and sexual health is no exception.
Parents are supposed to talk about sex education with their kids, not school. In a perfect
world parents would discuss sexuality with their children, but we do not live in a perfect world.
Abstinence only in school leaves much to be discussed by kids and their families but in reality
parents are failing in their responsibilities. In the more conservative states that enforce abstinence
education in schools, parents have claimed that its the best education for kids; theyve expressed
that they dont want their kids learning about explicit materials like contraception and diseases.
They say those topics should be left to the parents but unfortunately parents dont step up to the
plate.
In my home we never had the sex talk. So between not having sex ed. in high school and
my parents remaining in religious silence, there was no way I could have learned about sex from
anywhere besides the media and thats not the greatest place either. Parents shy away from the
awkward sex talk but in the long run its more detrimental for teens who are left to find out
information from peers or the media. Of course letting parents talk about sex with their children
makes it a more designed lesson. Parents can put whatever the heck they believe in to their
lessons, making sure that kids learn what parents want them to learn, like the religious value in
sex and why it should be saved for marriage. Id think this would be a very personal and a very
educational experience to learn about sex from your parents. Unfortunately some parents like to
cop out and let the religion do the talking. Fundamentally some religions have lessons about
what is and isnt appropriate with sex, making it all the easier to avoid the sex talk to begin with.

On the opposite side of the scale 75% percent of parents voiced that they wanted a more
comprehensive and abstinence curriculum taught to their kids (Yurieff). A mixture of both might
help the cause. Ultimately I dont believe the sex talk can be left to the parents. In my personal
experience theyve proven to be untrustworthy. Its not always like the movies, some parents
arent going to be gung-ho about sitting their children down and talking about the birds and the
bees. Talking about sex one on one requires willingness for teens to ask their parents questions
and an openness and positivity from parents to tackle the questions head on.
Abstinence stops teen pregnancy. Now this is where things get murky. The cause for teen
pregnancy has been up for debate for years since the sudden rise in the 1970s to the 1980s. The
United States ranks number 1 in developed countries when it comes to high pregnancy rates and
STDs (Stanger-Hall). This is alarming news considering how far along we are as a nation.
Obviously since we are number one, abstinence only education isnt really doing its job, but is it
helping to lower the rates? The debate doesnt make it quite clear really. In 2005, a study was
done across 48 states calculating their sex education curriculum and the teen pregnancy and birth
rates that go along with it. The results showed that the states who emphasized an abstinence only
curriculum had higher and more frequent teen pregnancy and birth rates. Just because a state may
teach abstinence doesnt mean that teen are abstaining (Stanger-Hall).
The good news is that teen birth rates were down 10% in 2012 to 2013 according to the
Population Reference Bureau and have continued to plummet over the last 20 years. The decline
is attributed to the wider variety of sex education that is available to students and easier access to
contraceptions. But what role does sex education play? Its debated that teens receive sex ed.
too late in their school careers. Sex education should happen as soon as junior high to late
elementary school some researchers say. Abstinence may be doing its job by spreading fear and

distrust to make birth rates go down, but thats not nipping the problem in the bud. Some states
have already adopted comprehensive sex education, saying that its a far better way to go about
teaching sex. But teachers dont feel like theyre being backed up when it comes to sex ed.
Sexual education is often left on the back burner when it comes to school subjects. Educators
need to have the support of the parents and funding from the government in order to really teach
properly. Of course they themselves need to have the right information which means that they
need to be trained more efficiently (Strasburger).
Leaving teens in the dark about sex doesnt necessarily mean that they wont have sex
just because they dont know what theyre getting in to. Comprehensive sex education at least
gives out accurate health information that students have the right to know about. If you notice, I
said teen birth rates were down, not pregnancy, which could entirely mean that teens are still
getting pregnant but they are more informed about their options when it comes to pregnancy.
As our country has developed technologically, sex information has spread like wild fire,
some good some bad. If teens arent getting the information from school they are obviously
getting it somewhere. Its safe to assume that the media is playing a heavier role than we
imagined. Teens have free range when it comes to the internet. Planned Parenthood is one of the
great examples of where teens could get information and help if they need it. I think its
important to know that teens have other options when it comes to teen pregnancy and Planned
Parenthood is one of those places. Unfortunately the internet isnt made up of buckets of truthful
information. The false info could be attributed to porn and how easily it is to stumble upon. Now
Im not bashing anyones hobbies or interests, but porn is widely known to be a false
representation of sex and everything that goes along with it. I think it would be a great idea for

schools to hand out pamphlets with websites or places to visit if they have questions or problems
concerning sex. The media can be used for good, but lets just make sure it stays that way.
To really get a better idea of how sex education was affecting the lives of teenagers, I
reached out to two girls who became pregnant while in or right after high school. Jessica was 18
when she became pregnant. She had been engaged to her high school sweetheart but things fell
through, shortly after her pregnancy was announced. I asked Jessica is if I could talk to her about
the education she received. She told me that she barely had one. Jessica and I had attended the
same high school just a few years apart, so we almost had the same sort of experience. Her
parents hadnt played a very active role either she said. Coming from an LDS family in the
middle of Utah County, it was very common to not learn about sex except for abstaining until
marriage and thats what Jessica received. Her parents taught her and her siblings that sexual
intimacy was for marriage but didnt delve any deeper than that. I asked Jessica if she blamed
school for her problem but she said yes and no. School was meant to prepare us, she said. I
felt like they had the opportunity to teach really valuable life stuff and they didnt. Im not
blaming my high school because I got pregnant; Im just saying it would have been nice to know
the whole story.
Cierra was the second girl I talked to about her teen pregnancy. She was sixteen when she
became pregnant and was still with her high school boyfriend. Cierra on the other hand had been
raised in a different state. She attended junior high and the beginning of high school in Las
Vegas and had an alternate experience with sex ed. They talked about contraceptives and STDs
in her high school not abstinence; but that didnt stop her from getting pregnant. Im not nave, I
knew it was possible to get pregnant when I had sex, but I made the choice to anyways, she
said. My boyfriend and I used birth control but it obviously didnt work as intended. Thats

probably where were at fault. I asked Cierra if maybe it was possible that they had been using
their form of birth control incorrectly and she said most likely.
Both girls are different and yet they had the same problem. Sex education affects
everyone, not just the teen girls who become pregnant. Cierra and Jessica became pregnant at
their own risk, but maybe it could have been prevented if their education had been broader and
more informative. Theres no way to turn back time and experiment with their educational
experience, but I feel like their stories are something to ponder about.
The research that Ive done about sex education has been very informative. I always
considered myself quite liberal when it comes to talking and teaching about sex. Ive never seen
a problem with something so natural for human beings, so of course I whole heartedly supported
comprehensive sex education. Being raised in a religious home and not having a sexual
education myself, I too felt unprepared and somewhat aggravated by the abstinence only way.
But maybe there are merits for both curriculums. Comprehensive gives the information that is
vital to ones health. Its the nitty gritty info thats helpful when someone is actually ready to
start being sexually active. But I feel like abstinence is the emotional side to the equation. Maybe
so many schools and parents preach abstinence because theyre trying to preserve a teenagers
emotional well-being. Abstinence is not the fun part of sex ed., just like practicing putting a
condom on a banana isnt the most practical part of comprehensive. But by their powers
combined, I think sex education would really have a running chance in our nation. Together
abstinence and comprehensive could fully teach whats so important to know about sex to our
children.
Annotated Bibliography

Clemmitt, Marcia. "Teen Pregnancy." CQ Researcher 26 Mar. 2010: 265-88. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
Teen pregnancy rates steadily rose over the past few years and researchers arent completely sure
why. Its debated that the lack of use of contraception and the better treatment for HIV/AIDS has
made a more complacent generation. With abstinence only programs slowly losing funding and
their place in the education system, people are wondering why its disappearing. Abstinence still
holds some relevance for relationships.

Freeman, Susan. "Condom Nation: The U.S. Government's Sex Education Campaign From
World War I To The Internet." Journal Of The History Of Sexuality 22.3 (2013): 540542. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
The US government has always played the dominant role is sex education. This article talks
about the role of government of sex education over the years. Opinions have been taken from
social and religious groups as the curriculum of sex ed was made up. It was designed to be
something that states could individualize to their childrens needs and what the parents
ultimately wanted. The irony of the title of the article Condom Nation is that they US
government rarely handed out contraception to go along with their education.

Gilbert, Jen. "Ambivalence Only? Sex Education In The Age Of Abstinence." Sex Education
10.3 (2010): 233-237. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
This article talks about how in sex education the element of sexuality is completely taken out. In
fact its seen as more of a threat than anything else. Sexuality is inclusive to all things, race,

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gender, rituals, sexual preference, but both abstinence only and health only programs take the
personal aspect of sex and replace it with fear and doubt. Sex isnt supposed to be about what is
or isnt acceptable to a whole community.

Hoshall, Leora. "Afraid Of Who You Are: No Promo Homo Laws In Public School Sex
Education." Texas Journal Of Women & The Law 22.2 (2013): 219-239. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
The basics of this article are centered on No Promo Homo laws that were put into place in the
early 90s. States like Mississippi, Texas, and Arizona based their sexual education curriculum
on a lack of information that promoted abstinence only and emphasizing that homosexuality was
against the law in the states and would not be tolerated. They also made a big deal out of AIDS
and how it was contracted from homosexual sex but they didnt specify how to prevent it.

Lamb, Sharon, Kara Lustig, and Kelly Graling. "The Use And Misuse Of Pleasure In Sex
Education Curricula." Sex Education 13.3 (2013): 305-318. Academic Search Premier.
Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
This is an interesting look into sex education and how pleasure doesnt really have a place for it.
Pleasure in sex ed. has become synonymous with fear and carelessness. Abstinence only
programs are the leaders in the fear mongering, forgetting to mention that sex is supposed to be
enjoyed, not endured. Yes, sex is a dangerous game to play with lasting consequences from

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pregnancy to STIs but the information should be known that is pleasurable. Pleasure also
becomes a target for stereotypes in sex ed. programs.

Stanger-Hall, Kathrin F., and David W. Hall. "Abstinence-Only Education And Teen Pregnancy
Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education In The U.S." Plos ONE 6.10
(2011): 1-11. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
This article is about the correlation between teen pregnancy rates and abstinence only sex
education in the United States. The authors make a very good point about how the United States
put quite a bit of funding into abstinence only, but it has ultimately proved unsuccessful in the
publics eyes. It has even been proposed that abstinence only education might be contributing to
the rise in teen pregnancy and birth rates.

Strasburger, Victor C., and Sarah S. Brown. "Sex Education In The 21St Century." JAMA:
Journal Of The American Medical Association 312.2 (2014): 125-126. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
Its discussed that sex education is placed on the back burner when it comes to the necessary
subjects that need to be updated in school systems. Sex ed. needs to evolve to fit the times and
educate kids. Proper funding isnt given to educators and in some schools sex ed. isnt require at
all. The media plays a sex educator role in this day and age, but the information given out is
faulty at best. Ways to educate need to be spread through social media and different sites agree.

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Yurieff, Kaya "Teen Sex." CQ Researcher 14 July 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
Teens in America have more teen pregnancy and abortions than any other industrialized country.
About four millions teens will get some sort of STI in their lifetime. 75% of parents have voiced
their positive opinions about having their children taught both abstinence and comprehensive sex
ed. and yet not as many schools have adopted the comprehensive teaching methods, few have
even switched to abstinence only.

Weissbourd, Richard, Amelia Peterson, and Emily Weinstein. "Preparing Students For Romantic
Relationships." Phi Delta Kappan 95.4 (2013): 54-58. Academic Search Premier. Web.
30 Oct. 2014.
Schools have the opportunity to teach kids more about love and sex and yet they dont. Although
sex doesnt necessarily entail love, it would be a far more rewarding educational experience if
young people were taught how to take care of romantic, sexual relationship. Its thought that
parents are supposed to provide students with help when it comes to their sexual questions and
lives, but ultimately the evidence suggests that parents fail to give the guidance that it needed to
grow.
Wiley, DC. "The Ethics Of Abstinence-Only And Abstinence-Plus Sexuality Education." Journal
Of School Health 72.4 (2002): 164-167. CINAHL Complete. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
Wilson, Kelly L., and David C. Wiley. "Influence Of Materials On Teacher Adoption Of
Abstinence-Only- Until-Marriage Programs." Journal Of School Health 79.12 (2009):
565-574. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.