Abstinence Only Programs For Public Schools

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According to advocatesforyouth.org, “abstinence only education teaches students to abstain from sex prior to marriage.” These program has been proven to be ineffective. Abstinence only education is ineffective because it is not conducive in reducing teen pregnancy rates and sexually transmitted diseases rates. Abstinence only programs are less likely to teach students about birth control and contraception and how to access it. These programs has not been shown to reduce teen sexual activity.
Abstinence only programs became more popular in the early 1980s. The Ronald Reagan administration allowed for government funding of this program. The government has consistently funded abstinence only programs despite the fact that they have been…show more content…
According to advocatesforyouth.org, “Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are a waste of taxpayer money.” Since 1996 over one billion dollars has been spent on these programs. Because these programs are unsuccessful many people argue that it is a waste of money to spend billions of dollars on ineffective programs. However comprehensive sex education which teaches students about contraceptive usage and abstinence does not get the funding that abstinence only receives.
As a result of the unsuccessful overly funded abstinence only programs, teens fail to use contraception. This leads to increased pregnancy rates. Students and teens fail to use contraception because they are not informed of its importance and how to access it. This is why many people feel it is important to replace abstinence only with comprehensive sex education.
Moreover the lack of knowledge of contraceptive usage and birth control leads to high pregnancy rates as well. Comprehensive does what abstinence only does not. It informs students of how to use condoms, how to get birth control, and the risks of unprotected sexual activity. Abstinence only is not realistic in American society in the twenty first century. If teenagers are not informed of what is happening in their bodies and how to control it, they have the potential to attract unwanted consequences.
According to Siecus.org, “In early
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