Professor Bright
Writing 101
November 2, 2015
Sexual Education
According to the University of Kansas historian Jeffrey P. Morgan in his book Teaching, Sex, sexual education was first thought about in 1913 when Chicago public schools instituted a lecture series for girls and, separately, boys, on “physiology, moral hygiene and venereal disease” (Friedman). Americans have viewed adolescent sexuality as an impulse to be controlled or, better, repressed. Sex education has mainly aimed at saving teenage girls from early sex, and, therefore, from sexually transmitted disease. Not only would the sexually transmitted disease percentage be lowered, but by stopping teen sex, we would be preserving the institutions of marriage and family” …show more content…
Guttmacher Institute reported that the pregnancy rate for girls aged 15 to 19 had increased 3 percent from 2005 to 2006, to 41 per 1,000 girls, the first such increase since 1990. Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, a national reproductive health group, told the New York Times that the Guttmacher study made “it crystal clear that abstinence only sex education for teenagers does not work” (Teen Pregnancy). Since these studies, the “Obama administration ha[s] recently cut $150 million from abstinence-only sex education programs, although Congress later restored about $50 million of it” (Teen Pregnancy). Even though Obama recently restored $50 million of the abstinence only classes, the government is now considering terminating all the funds toward abstinence only …show more content…
Christine Kim, a Policy Analysis at the Heritage Foundation, says, “Teen sexual activity damages society and hurts teens’ future prospects and emotional well-being’ (Kim). Having sex early also can increase the risk of having a sexually transmitted disease. Early sexual activity also increases “reduced psychological and emotional well-being, lower academic achievement, teen pregnancy, and out-of-wedlock childbearing” (Kim). Supporters of abstinence-only sex education programs also pointed to a February 2010 study conducted by University of Pennsylvania communication professor John Jemmott which, Jemmott claimed, proved that “it’s possible for abstinence-only intervention to be effective’” (Teen Pregnancy). Many studies by the Heritage Foundation have shown that classes that are mainly abstinence only classes are successful in bringing down the numbers for teen sexual activity. Abstinence only education teaches the benefits stresses the social, psychological, and health benefits of abstinence, and of course teaches abstinence from sexual activity outside