Should Sex Ed Just Teach Abstinence?

	Tweet

Sex education programs for teens should cover more than sexual abstinence, says the American Psychological Association (APA).

The APA, the world’s largest association of psychologists, isn’t against discussing abstinence. Instead, the group wants a comprehensive sex education program which would include other topics, including condom use and ways to avoid HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Programs that exclusively promote abstinence—without focusing on other issues such as condom use and ways to prevent HIV transmission—are too restrictive, says the APA.

The APA also questions the effectiveness of such programs, saying there’s little scientific evidence that supports abstinence-only programs.

The APA has issued a resolution favoring comprehensive sex education programs. One of the main reasons for the APA’s stand is the increase in newly identified cases of HIV in teens since 1994. Abstinence-only programs or abstinence-until-marriage programs as a way to prevent HIV have not been shown to be effective in the long term, especially in sexually experienced teens, says the report.

Teens aren’t too young to be affected by HIV.

“The proportion of newly identified HIV cases among persons under 25 has increased since 1994,” says the APA. “Most of those diagnosed with AIDS at ages 21 to 24 were most likely infected during adolescence.”

One in five young people has had sex by age 15, says the APA. “Most adolescents who are sexually active do not use condoms consistently,” says the APA.

RELATED STORIES:
Pfizer switches agency for Viagra ads   Smoking ups impotence risk in younger men   Hepatitis C Transmitted by Unprotected Sex Between HIV-Infected Men   Rare sexual syndrome needs more research   Morning-after pill well tolerated by teen girls   Psych disorders common with erectile dysfunction   When Viagra Doesn’t Work, Lipitor May Assist   S.Koreans grumble, French pleased about sex: survey   Most US teens have had oral sex   Pfizer Offers Discounts for the Uninsured   Condom use, not abstinence, cuts Uganda’s HIV rate   Importance Of Marital Sex

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]