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The debate on federal government funding for comprehensive sex education in

public schools is complicated. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif. believes that comprehensive
sex education is necessary in public schools to keep youth safe. Sen. Tom Coburn, M.D.,
R-Okla. conversely believes that abstinence is the only way to stay safe until marriage.
According to the Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs, seventy percent of
young people will have sex before the age of nineteen, and ninety-five percent of people
will have sex before they are married. Most people now wait until their twenties to get
married, and same sex couples still cannot legally marry in most states; this contradicts
the no sex before marriage opinion. By not educating youth about contraceptives and
solely relying on abstinence pledges, todays youth are left unprotected and unaware of
the risks they take when participating in sexual activity. Representative Barbara Lee has
a stronger argument defending the position that young people benefit from
comprehensive sex education in public schools.
A practicing physician, Senator Tom Coburn, stands on the side of abstinenceonly education. Through Coburns physician work, he has experienced young men and
women with every form of sexually transmitted disease. Coburn states that abstinence
education is honest with teens about the consequences of premarital activity and
empowers teens to make the healthiest choice. Coburn believes that abstinence until
marriage is the best way to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted
diseases. He states that this is the full truth and the best medical advice.
Representative Barbara Lee believes in comprehensive sex education, and states
abstinence-only programs do not work. According to Lee, virginity pledges- may
actually be harmful by undermining the use of condoms when sexual activity occurs.

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By this, Lee means that not educating teens on the helpfulness of contraceptives can
leave them vulnerable if they choose to participate in sexual activity.
Lee considers abstinence-only programs to be medically inaccurate because most
of them are prohibited from addressing the benefits of contraceptives and convey
religious messages that go against the Constitutional separation of church and state. In
1981 Congress passed the Adolescent Family Life Act that required clinics that received
federal funding to advocate abstinence to women seeking birth control. Also, in 1996
President Bill Clinton signed the Welfare Reform Act that provided federal funding for
public schools to hold abstinence-only sex education. From the early 80s to the 90s,
medical advancements were made in hopes of spreading the practice of abstinence
(Chronology). The government spends more than $150 million per year on abstinenceonly programs with little proof that they work (Lee). Lee suggests that a comprehensive
approach to sex education benefits includes instruction on both abstinence and
contraception. She also challenges those who argue that these programs increase sexual
activity or result in more partners.
Lee created the Responsible Education About Life Act (REAL) with Senator
Frank Lautenberg in the 109th Congress. This act funds proven comprehensive sex
education that stresses abstinence while also educating young people about contraception
and emphasizing family communication and responsible decision-making skills. Lee
believes that young people deserve to be educated to protect themselves against disease
and unwanted pregnancies. She states, We have a moral obligation to help them.
There has been much advancement in contraception over the years. In 1960 after
years of abstinence-only education, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first

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birth control pill. (Chronology) The pill allowed women to engage in sexual activity
without the fear of becoming pregnant. Also, in 1991 the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court
ruled women the right to abortion, which provided support for sexual freedom, and teen
pregnancy rates began to decline (Chronology). In the 2000s, social scientists began to
research whether abstinence or contraception deserved the credit for the low teen
pregnancy rates. Most recently in the 2000s, teen pregnancy rates dropped to an all time
low of 84 pregnancies per 1,000 women ages 15 to 19 (Chronology). These
advancements in medical contraception have provided young people with an alternative
to abstinence and the protection against the risks they take when sexually active.
Education about contraception and abstinence is important in keeping todays
youth protected. Without educating young people about contraception and just relying on
abstinence-only programs, leaves those who chose not to abstain unprotected as well as
uninformed. It is important for young people to know how to take care of themselves
even if sexual activity is not present in their current lifestyle.
Coburn states that abstinence is the only approach that is 100 percent effective in
preventing sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies. Sexual behavior is
up to young people. It is preventative to educate them about abstinence and
contraception for whichever they may choose. If teens are scared they will not reach out
for help and do what is necessary to protect them. Research has repeatedly found that
abstinence-only programs do not work, Lee states. In fact, abstinence-only-untilmarriage programs do not have a monopoly on helping people abstain. The bottom line
is that the federal government should fund comprehensive sex education in public schools
because the youth will only benefit from it.

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Works Cited
"Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs."Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage
Programs. Web. 2 Mar. 2015. <http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/abstinence
only-programs-home>.
Chronology. CQ Researcher 15:32 (16 Sept. 2005): 771. Print.
Coburn, Tom. Only Abstinence Education Should Be Taught. CQ Researcher 15:32
(16 Sept. 2005): 777. Print.
Lee, Barbara. Comprehensive Sex Education is Necessary. CQ Researcher 15:32
(16 Sept. 2005): 777. Print.