What Are Abstinence-Only Programs and Why Don’t They Work?

Abstinence-only programs (also called abstinence-only-until-marriage programs) promote abstinence from sexual behavior. They strictly exclude discussion of other important sex ed topics, especially those concerned with birth control, safer sex, and sexual orientation. In fact, abstinence-only programs often provide inaccurate and alarmist misinformation about the effectiveness of condoms, contraception, and safer sex.

Sexuality is an integral part of each person’s identity. Learning about our sexuality and achieving sexual health and well-being are lifelong processes that begin at birth and continue throughout our lives. Although parents and guardians are the primary sex educators of their children, children also receive messages about sexuality from many other sources. Some of them may have more negative than positive impact. Schools and other community-based organizations can be important partners with parents to provide young people accurate and developmentally appropriate sex education.

The goals of comprehensive sex education are to help young people gain a positive view of sexuality and to provide them with developmentally appropriate knowledge and skills so that they can make healthy decisions about their sex lives now and in the future. Medically accurate sex education is an investment in our children’s future — their well-being. Our “return on investment” could be a generation of young people who have heard more helpful messages about sexuality than the provocative media images and/or silences they currently witness. It could be a generation of women and men comfortable in their own skin; able to make well-informed, responsible decisions; form healthy relationships; and take care of their bodies.

Effective sex education uses behavioral goals, teaching methods, and resources that are age-appropriate, developmentally appropriate, and culturally competent is based on theoretical approaches that have been proven to be effective takes place over sufficient time to cover necessary topics and skills employs a variety of teaching methodologies that present the content in ways that make it relevant to the student provides basic, accurate information about the risks of unprotected sexual intercourse and how to avoid unprotected sexual intercourse includes activities that address peer pressure and cultural pressure practices decision making, communication, negotiation, and refusal skills utilizes teachers who are well-trained, comfortable, and believe in the program.

!!!SUPPORT EDUCATING PEOPLE ABOUT THEIR BODIES!!!

- See more at: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/educators