"Substantial work has been done in the areas of sexual health and responsible behavior, through public-private partnerships at the national as well as community level, by many researchers and organizations throughout the country. Many of these approaches and programs improve sexual health have been evaluated and shown to be effective. They include community based programs, school based programs, and religion based programs."
"School based sexuality education programs are generally of two types: abstinence-only programs that emphasize sexual abstinence as the most appropriate choice for young people; and sexuality and STD/HIVeducation programs that also cover abstinence but, in addition, include condoms and other methods of contraception to provide protection against STDs or pregnancy."
"Dispite the available evidence regarding the effectiveness of school-based sexuality education, it remains a controversial issue for many- in terms whether schools are the most appropriate venue for such education, as well as curriculum content. Few would disagree that parents should be the primary sexuality educators of their children or that sexual abstinence until engaged in a committed and mutually monogamous relationship is an important component in any sexuality education program. It does seem clear, however, that providing sexuality education in the schools is a useful mechanism to ensure that this Nation's youth have a basic understanding of sexuality."
"In addition, given that one-half of adolescents in the United States are already sexually active and at risk of unintended pregnancy and STD/HIV infection- it also seems clear that adolescents need accurate information about contraceptive methods so that they can reduce those risks."
Previous
Next
