Bias in Abstinence-only Education

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Bias in Abstinence-Only Education

In addition to being an ineffective deterrent to unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases , abstinence only education prevents young women from making well informed decisions about their sexuality . Cases of teen pregnancy and STD /HIV infections is on the rise despite the government allocating funds for abstinence only programs . This seeks to look at the government policies with regard to abstinence-only education programs and its relationship with unwanted pregnancies

It is a known fact that sexual abstinence is being practiced

in all countries in the world as a sure way of preventing sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy . Men and women of all ages who are not ready to accept the risks that accompany sexual activity embrace abstinence which is a normal and acceptable practice . As a way of expressing love affection and tenderness , majority resort to intercourse and sexual activity . Sex is also being used by couples to strengthen their relationships . However , it has often been argued that using sex to cement relationships can distort one 's judgment . Among women , having sex may strengthen the feeling of love but do not actually cement or deepen the relationship . Exploring sexual behavior within an environment of deep commitment where having children is considered as a possibility is always rewarding . Majority of people are however not prepared for commitment hence opt for abstinence until they develop a stable relationship

Abstinence is 100 effective in protecting an individual from sexually transmitted . However , if the majority of the population could realize its effectiveness , then we would not be having such headlines like the ones we have seen in the past of teen births being on the rise However , abstinence is not an easy practice considering how strong sexual drives are among humans

The rate of teen births steadily declined since 1991 and this could have been because of the intensive educational campaigns that were initiated during that period . These campaigns included encouraging people to use contraceptives and condoms and enlightening people on the risks of Aids and sexually transmitted diseases . However , today statistics now show an increase by 3 in teen births the first time ever in 14 years (Wilson , Kelly , Patricia ,2005 ) Is it that the sex education programs that the government adopted are no longer working

The government has tried to show some effort in curbing STDs and unwanted pregnancies . The first federal abstinence-only program was enacted in 1981 and this was designed primarily to support pregnant and parenting teenagers . This came through the adolescent Family Life Act which was also passed the same year . AFLA also funded abstinence-only ' programs meant to encourage responsibility and self discipline among teenagers (Abstinence Only Programs 2008 ,

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Abstinence-only program 's purpose was to teach the general population and especially the teenagers how they stand to gain from abstinence . It also sought to teach abstinence from pre-marital to all schooling children . The abstinence-only program was supposed to teach the values of abstinence with regard to unwanted pregnancies...