Frank DAscenzo

Senior Project Essay Outline

4th hour
Title: Abstinence Only Educations
I. Introduction
a. Abstinence-only education programs are not effective at delaying the
initiation of sexual activity or in reducing teen pregnancy.
(http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/publications-a-z/409-thetruth-about-abstinence-only-programs )
b. Abstinence-only sex education is a form of sex education that teaches not
having sex outside of marriage. It often excludes other types of sexual and
reproductive health education, such as birth control and safe sex.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstinence-only_sex_education )
c. Each year, U.S. teens experience as many as 850,000 pregnancies, and
youth under age 25 experience about 9.1 million sexually transmitted
infections (STIs). By age 18, 70 percent of U.S. females and 62 percent of
U.S. males have initiated vaginal sex. Comprehensive sex education is
effective at assisting young people to make healthy decisions about sex
and to adopt healthy sexual behaviors.
(http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/component/content/article/450effective-sex-education )
II. Counterargument
a. Research shows that abstinence-only education delays sexual initiation
and reduces teen pregnancy.
(http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/publications-a-z/409-thetruth-about-abstinence-only-programs )
b. Abstinence-only education programs are not effective at delaying the
initiation of sexual activity or in reducing teen pregnancy.
1. A 2004 review by Advocates for Youth of 11 state-based
evaluations found that abstinence-only programs showed
little evidence of sustained (long-term) impact on attitudes
and intentions.
2. In a 2002 review of the ten studies cited by Rector, Douglas
Kirby PhD, a widely recognized, highly reputable evaluator
of sex education programs for youth, concluded that nine
failed to provide credible evidence, consistent with
accepted standards of research, that they delayed the
initiation of sex or reduced the frequency of sex.
(http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/publication
s-a-z/409-the-truth-about-abstinence-only-programs )
c. To summarize, teaching abstinence does not mean that the students will
obtain from sexual activities.

d. Abstinence only programs do not work, they contain lies and inaccurate
information, and they are a waste of taxpayer money.
III. Main point
A. Big Idea- Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs don't work.
B. Supporting arguments and facts
1 11 states have evaluated the impact of their abstinence-only-untilmarriage programs. None has been shown to reduce teen sexual activity.
(http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/topics-issues/abstinenceonly/769abstinence-only-until-marriage-programs )
2 Virginity pledgers have found "loopholes" to keep their pledges intact
engaging in risky oral or anal sexand neglecting to use condoms when
they do begin to have vaginal intercourse, according to research from
Peter Bearman at Columbia University.
(http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/topics-issues/abstinenceonly/769abstinence-only-until-marriage-programs )
3 A 2007 federally funded evaluation of these programs found that youth in
the control group were no more likely to have abstained from sex and,
among those who reported having sex, had a similar number of partners
and had initiated sex at the same age.
(http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/topics-issues/abstinenceonly/769abstinence-only-until-marriage-programs )
C. So what? Based on this information having abstinence only programs are
useless.
D. In summation, students will already have their mind set going into these
programs and will come out of them without their minds changed.
IV. Main point #2
A. Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs contain lies and
inaccurate information.
1. Representative Henry A. Waxman released a report showing that
over 80 percent of federally funded abstinence-only-until-marriage
programs use curricula that distort information about the
effectiveness of contraceptives, misrepresent the risks of abortion,
blur religion and science, treat stereotypes about girls and boys as
scientific fact, and contain basic scientific errors.
2. Condoms cause cancer
3. Women get cervical cancer because of promiscuity
4. "Each time a sexually active person gives that most personal part
of himself or herself away, that person can lose a sense of personal
value and worth.
b. So what? These false, ideologically driven programs are turning out sexually
illiterate young people whose lives and health are put in literal danger by
"educators" handing out false information.
(http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/15/abstinence-sexeducation-teaches-virgins-teens )
V. Main point #3

a. Waste of taxpayer money.

1. Over $1.5 billion dollars in taxpayer money has been spent on
abstinence-only-until-marriage programs since 1996.
2. While government cuts funding to programs across the board,
abstinence-only-until-marriage programs have enjoyed over a 300
percent increase in federal funding since President Bush took office,
from $80 million a year in 2001 to $176 million in 2007.
(http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/topics-issues/abstinenceonly/769abstinence-only-until-marriage-programs )
VI. Conclusion
1. Students need sexual education that's comprehensive, medically accurate,
and free from shame and ideology. Not just because sexuality is an
integral part of our humanity, but also because when you withhold medical
information about sexuality from children and teens, you are endangering
health and
lives. (http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/15/abstinence
-sex-education-teaches-virgins-teens )