A recent NY Times article explores the policy of abstinence only sex education as driven by politics. Aaron E. Carroll explains that the current administration has deviated from funding sex education programs that are effective based on evidence outcomes. Although federal support for abstinence based education had increased in the past administrations, the requirement for sex education to be taught in schools had actually fallen "to 48 percent from 67 percent."
Read MoreAbstinence-Only Education is Unethical →
/According to NPR, Abstinence-only sex education is unethical and ineffective in reducing rates of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Laura Lindberg of Guttmacher Institute notes "that abstinence-only education programs don't succeed in reducing rates of teen pregnancies or STDs." In fact, Lindberg states that the approach "have little demonstrated efficacy in helping adolescents to delay intercourse".
Read MoreThe Abstinence Advocate Who Will Oversee American Sex Education→
/Valerie Huber has been appointed by the Trump administration as the chief of staff for the Department of Health and Human Services.
What is the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) responsible for?
"HHS administers more than 100 programs in medicine, public health, and social services. The department also oversees the Office of Adolescent Health, which is the main area of concern for advocates of comprehensive sex education. The office conducts research and training on preventing teen pregnancy and STDs".
Before appointment, Huber worked as the CEO for the organization Ascend. Ascend promotes the traditional approach of sex education through abstinence or sexual risk avoidance. Huber is also known for supporting the program "Choosing the Best". This program is geared towards juniors and seniors in high school with the goal of "asking students to take a commitment and abstinence pledge". Huber's stance "that mainstream culture normalizes premarital sex and contraceptives" shows her support for abstinence only education.
When analyzing data from states that provide abstinence only sex education, it is clear that states with traditional approaches to sex education are ineffective in reducing teen birth rates. For example, Texas is one of the states with abstinence only programs as the main form of sex education and the teen pregnancy rates are among the highest in the nation. It is clear that " Huber's aversion toward comprehensive sex education ignores national data".
Here at More Than Sex-ed, we promote open and honest dialogue about the state of sexual education. Although we believe it is healthy for teens to postpone sexual intercourse, abstinence only education is ineffective in reducing teen pregnancy and birth rates. When analyzing the available data, it is obvious that comprehensive sex education is more effective in reducing teen pregnancy and birth rates.
NPR : In Texas, Abstinence-Only Programs May Contribute To Teen Pregnancies
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"Research shows teens everywhere are having sex, with about half of high school students saying they've had sexual intercourse. Gwen Daverth, CEO of the Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, says the high numbers in Texas reflect policy, not promiscuity. "
A majority of high schools in Texas provide abstinence only sex education or "doesn't offer sexual education at all". The results from Texas policy translate into some of the highest teen pregnancy rates in America. Although teen birth rates are declining across the country, states that favor abstinence as the main form of sexual education are seeing a slower decline. This NPR program gives context on the issue through Jessica Chester's experience.
When Did Porn Become Sex-Ed? Why healthy conversation about sexuality is the antidote.
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The challenge for parents today is to put sexuality into the context of values. We need to acknowledge that porn is easy to access. And that it doesn't depict real relationships. Porn is the fantasy that the porn producer creates. No more real than the story telling that occurs in all kinds of TV shows and movies. "Family Guy" is not a great primer on healthy family dynamics, and PornHub is not helping anyone learn to be a better lover.
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