Sample Op-Ed
Tell Me the (Whole) Truth Tool Kit
Published 09/05/02
Our school district is withholding vital information about sex from students. Most parents want their kids to wait to have sex. But the reality is that half of all teenagers in the U.S. are already sexually active and therefore are at risk for unintended pregnancy, HIV, and STD infection. We need to make sure our school district is providing the basic information our teenagers need to protect themselves.
Our school district’s sex education curricula may actually discourage sexually active students from protecting themselves during sex and encourage them to turn to other, less reliable, sources for information. How can we expect teenagers to make well-informed decisions about sex, if we aren’t giving them accurate information or any information at all?
Young people need more than admonishments to “just say no,” or to wait until they are married to have sex. In addition to learning about abstinence, they need information about a wide range of issues, including peer pressure, STDs, how to effectively use condoms, and other forms of contraception. They need a teacher who can answer questions and sensitively provide information about sexual orientation, options for pregnant teenagers, and sexual abuse. They need an education that will help them develop their own values. Gay and lesbian youth, who as of now can’t look forward to marrying because they’re not allowed to, need sex education that speaks to the realities of their lives. All students deserve an educational forum to grapple with ideas about relationships, responsibilities, and respect for diversity.
Abstinence-only programs, which view abstinence as the only option for unmarried young people, have not proven effective in delaying sexual activity, increasing condom use, or decreasing rates of sexually transmitted diseases. We need to steer clear of these programs. Instead, we should work to ensure that our teenagers receive real sex education, which provides life-saving information on a variety of topics and gives teenagers the tools they need to make good choices about sex.
Research shows that teaching students about abstinence while at the same time providing them with information about contraception, tends to delay sexual intercourse and increase condom and contraception use among teenagers. Simply put, teenagers who receive real sex education make better choices about sex. And parents, teachers, and teenagers across the country believe school districts should be providing real sex education.
The United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the developed world, and adolescents are contracting HIV faster than almost any other demographic group in the country. Our young people want and need accurate, medically sound information about their sexual health. It is irresponsible for us to leave them unprotected and uninformed.
