Abstinence-only vs. Abstinence-plus

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There are many problems facing teenagers these days. None are bigger than the issue of underage sex, and all the issues stemming from it. The number of teenagers becoming sexually active, pregnant, and contracting sexually transmitted diseases are rapidly on the rise. There is no simple fix, or easy solution to this problem. Sex education should begin at home, and extend to include an effective program in schools that reinforce a clear message of abstaining from sexual activity in addition to informing students of the risks posed by engaging in sexual activity. The political, and religious dissension on this issue has resulted in a procedural stalemate preventing schools from effectively addressing the problem, and implement a comprehensive sex-education program that benefits young adults in Texas and the rest of the United States. Abstinence-Only programs are currently the most used in public schools, but this method is seriously out-dated and does not aptly deal with the issue that teenagers are participating in underage sex regardless of whether they have been told that they should not. Without the proper information, teenagers are blindly making a decision about having sex that could impact their lives in far many more ways than they can fathom, most not fully understanding the ramifications of their decision. The implementation across the nation of a comprehensive Abstinence-Plus program teaching: abstinence, health risks, birth control, teen pregnancy, and providing students with information and birth control is exactly what is needed. Strong emotions, and opinions are found on both sides of this argument, but the fact of the matter is that Abstinence-Only programs are insufficient in educating teenagers ab... ... middle of paper ... ...neffective in changing teen sexual behavior, this is good news for thousands of Texas teens and their parents.” An increase over 200% in less than three years is encouraging and hopefully those numbers continue to grow. Drastic changes need to be made the nations current policies on sex education in schools. More information needs to be provided to the students, and their parents in order to effectively educate them both on the risks of underage sex and the importance of being thoroughly educated in a comprehensive Abstinence-Plus method. Politicians and law-markers need to stop arguing their point and open their eyes to the very real reality that more, and more teenagers are engaging in sexual activity. Young adults are going to learn about sex; the question is will we control when and how they receive the information or will we leave it up to them.

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