Comprehensive vs Abstinence Sex Education

Comprehensive vs. Abstinence-Only Sex Education

Sex education is a right that every child must receive, as enshrined in the United Nation’s Standard Development Goals for Health (Jiménez-Ríos et al., 2023). Globally, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) provides the guidelines that must be followed in sex education. In the United States, the federal and state governments provide the policy framework under which sex education is delivered. The two main sex education programs are comprehensive sex education and abstinence-only education. Until 2010, the United States had prioritized abstinence-only education, but the contemporary social-cultural landscape has necessitated the adoption of comprehensive sex education (Hawkins, 2024). Nevertheless, the choice of sex education policy remains controversial due to religious and social-cultural reasons, in addition to the efficacy of each approach. Thus, this paper will analyze comprehensive sex education and abstinence-only sex education and compare their effectiveness in improving sexual and reproductive health.

Abstinence-only sex education focuses on teaching abstinence from sexual activity before marriage. It excludes information on the use of contraceptives or condoms to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or teen pregnancy. Before 2010, the United States advocated abstinence sex education and emphasized the exclusion of teaching about contraceptives in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 (Mark & Wu, 2022). Indeed, the federal government only funded education programs that adhered to this policy, highlighting the stress on abstinence-only sex education (Hawkins, 2024). The underlying principle for this approach is that sex education should be culturally appropriate. Griner et al. (2022) explored the significance of culture in sex education, stating that stigma and gender expectations towards sexual activity influenced the abstinence-only policy. Sex was deemed inappropriate among young and unmarried people, hence the emphasis on abstinence. Furthermore, men were expected to explore their sexuality while women had to remain chaste, further reinforcing the need for abstinence-only sex education. Chan et al. (2023) echoed the influence of culture and religious conviction in determining abstinence-only sex education. The predominant social and religious perception that young people should not be involved in sexual activity played a significant role in the development of the education policy. However, the abstinence-only sex education policy did not have the desired results, as evidenced by the high number of teen births and prevalence of STDs.

The global prevalence of teen births is estimated to be 21 million (Myat et al., 2024). In the United States, teen birth rates are higher when compared to other high-income countries, suggesting a failure in the sex education approach (Mark & Wu, 2022). The social and cultural constraints and the abstinence-only method limit access to sex education among young people, predisposing them to sexual and reproductive risks (Brasileiro et al., 2023). Hawkins (2024) conducted extensive research on abstinence-only sex education and established that it significantly reduced current sexual activity among young people. However, this method is not appropriate in reducing teen births and the prevalence of STDs. Teenagers who get pregnant face greater health risks because of stigma and lack of proper education, as the abstinence-only sex education method does not factor in such an eventuality. Chan et al. (2023) highlighted the inadequacy of the abstinence-only approach in the prevention of STDs as it discourages young people from screening, using condoms, and seeking treatment. Thus, abstinence-only sex education predisposes young people to reproductive and sexual risk as it does not empower them to take proper preventive and curative measures, necessitating a more plausible sex education approach.

UNESCO describes comprehensive sex education as a scientifically accurate program comprising all the variables required to enhance sexual and reproductive health among school-going children (Shah & Pokhrel, 2023). It is a holistic approach to developing knowledge and a positive attitude among children while accounting for social-cultural and religious barriers that have hitherto compromised the delivery of sex education. The comprehensive sex education policy was adopted in 2010 in the United States and serves as the current guiding principle in teaching and learning sex education (Hawkins, 2024). The federal government funds the policy in the United States under two programs. These are the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) at the state level and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program (TPP), which funds education in counties (Mark & Wu, 2022). The comprehensive sex education methodology was adopted because of its effectiveness in improving sexual and reproductive health. It empowers young people to make better choices regarding their sexual behavior by providing age and culturally-appropriate knowledge (Shibuya et al., 2023). Its effectiveness is pegged on the holistic approach to sexuality, encompassing personal, physical, emotional, cognitive, and social-cultural dynamics.

Comprehensive sex education focuses on the personal relations and gender identity of an individual (Hawkins, 2024; Jiménez-Ríos et al., 2023). It helps young people develop a strong sense of identity when the growth and changes happening to their bodies can be confusing. For example, comprehensive sex education enlightens children on the physical changes that happen during puberty and their significance in sexuality. During teenage, establishing and maintaining healthy sexual relationships is crucial. Comprehensive sex education acknowledges this facet of young people’s lives and provides the necessary education to facilitate safe and fulfilling sexual relationships (Mark & Wu, 2022). The cognitive and emotional aspects, which play a crucial role in human sexuality, are explained (Myat et al., 2024). For example, love and affection between lovers are critical features of human sexuality that children ought to learn. The comprehensive sex education approach accounts for social-cultural variables that could hinder its effectiveness (Shah & Pokhrel, 2023). This is achieved by considering the age and background of the learners to ensure that the information delivered is appropriate.

Since its adoption, the comprehensive sex education approach has resulted in significant improvement in sexual and reproductive health. Hawkins (2024) established that the implementation of the comprehensive sex education policy improved safe sex practices among young people. It reduced the number of sex partners and increased the usage of contraceptives and condoms. Consequently, the rates of STDs reduced significantly while teenage births reduced by 3.3% (Hawkins, 2024). This finding is consistent with the results by Mark and Wu (2022), who also established a 3% decrease in teen births in counties that received federal funding for comprehensive sex education. Other expected benefits of comprehensive sex education are the improvement of interpersonal sex relationships and enhanced sense of identity. The teaching method empowers learners to be proud of their sexual identity and derive fulfillment in sexual relationships in a safe and responsible manner, which improves their well-being.

Despite the accrued benefits of comprehensive sex education, gaps still exist in its composition, completeness, delivery, and outcomes (Myat et al., 2024). Many teachers are not trained to properly disseminate sex education, while others are not confident, citing social and cultural barriers (Shibuya et al., 2023). Furthermore, teachers shy from teaching sex education as it is akin to encouraging learners to be sexually active, which is conflicting. Preparing teachers adequately through training is critical to bridge the gap and improve the success of comprehensive sex education (Jiménez-Ríos et al., 2023). Additionally, incorporating technology can bridge the gap as many young people learn about sex through the internet, and the comprehensive sex education program can be more effective by packaging it to be delivered electronically by trained personnel.

Legal and ethical principles guide sex education in schools. The federal and state government provides laws and policies that guide the delivery of sex education in schools (Hawkins, 2024). It is a right for all children to receive sex education, and this requirement legally binds all schools. Ethical issues to be considered include the age of the learners, social-cultural background, and the content delivered (Epps et al., 2023). For example, some individuals may feel uncomfortable talking about lesbian, gay, transgender, and transgender identities. Comprehensive sex education requires teaching of gender identities, but for teachers and learners from cultures not recognizing these identities, this may elicit ethical dilemmas.

Conclusion

Sex education is crucial to enhancing children’s sexual and reproductive health. It enables them to adopt the right sex behavior and make correct decisions regarding sexuality. Sex education is a right for every child and can be either abstinence-only or comprehensive sex education. Abstinence-only sex education focuses on encouraging abstinence, while comprehensive sex education encourages safe sex practices such as the use of contraceptives. Abstinence-only sex education is effective in reducing sexual activity but does not adequately curb teenage birth and the spread of STDs. Comprehensive sex education, on the other hand, effectively reduces STDs and teen births by empowering young people to make informed decisions and adopt safe sex practices.