module case 4

Running Head : Comprehensive or Abstinence

Comprehensive or Abstinence Sex Education : Which Is Better

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Abstract

The alarming increase in the number of wedlock weddings and teenage pregnancies have prompted governments of the world to put in place sex education programs aimed at reducing the likelihood of early pregnancy

This will focus on the effectiveness of the comprehensive and abstinence-only sex education programs in limiting the possibility of young people getting pregnant or acquiring HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases during their teenage years

p Comprehensive or Abstinence Sex Education : Which Is Better

Looking at the Facts

Even at an early age , the modern day youth is already sexually aware They are more liberated , passionate , and more interested in the opposite sex . This has resulted in an increase in the number of teenage pregnancies and marriages

The figures about cases of teenage girls getting pregnant are very alarming . According to the Advocates For Youth , a teenage pregnancies occur annually in the United States (McKeon , 2006 Likewise , 9 .1 million youths below 25 years old are inflicted with sexually transmitted infections (STIs (McKeon , 2006 . Aside from that 70 percent of American women and 62 percent of the men have tried vaginal sex (McKeon , 2006 . Because of this , there is a need to set-up an effective sex education program

At present , there are two sex education programs in place , namely comprehensive and pro-abstinence . The issue at hand is which of the two is more effective in reducing teenage pregnancy cases . This will look at the various arguments concerning comprehensive and pro-abstinence programs

The Arguments for Comprehensive Sex Education

Studies have shown that comprehensive sex education is much more effective than pro-abstinence programs . Taking off from where a 2002 national research left off , it was revealed that sixty percent of the over 1 ,700 unmarried , heterosexual teenagers ranging from 15 to 19 years old who got comprehensive sex education is less prone to become pregnant or impregnate somebody compared to those who did not receive education (Rotheram Lyon , 2005

In addition , while both comprehensive and abstinence only programs can delay the sexual process , only the former has the capacity to effectively protect adolescents from becoming pregnant and getting infected with sexually transmitted diseases . According to Mary Jane Rotheram , Ph , D , a psychologist from the University of California , Los Angeles (UCLA ) and among the principal contributors to the report of the committee , comprehensive sex education programs provide information about how important it is to identify and treat sexually transmitted diseases early as well as the importance of communication skills in keeping the youth free from STD (Rotheram Lyon , 2005

Moreover , discussing the correct usage of condoms is effective in increasing the number of adolescents who refrain from sex and engage in sexual intercourse . The American Psychological Association (APA , which conducted the research and issued the findings , recommends that any new programs aimed at stopping HIV and STD should be tested with those have shown effectiveness (Rotheram Lyon , 2005

The Effectiveness...