Action Alert
Abstinence-Only Sex Education Embeds Religious Ideas in Public Schools
BACKGROUND
Now taught in nearly a third of public schools, abstinence-only (or
abstinence-only-until-marriage) sex education is deeply rooted in
fundamentalist Christian ideology. As Humanists, we must do all we can to
prevent this religious-based curriculum from being taught in public
schools. As the Humanist Statement on Sexuality states, "sex education
programs in public schools should reflect our shared ethical values-not
the sectarian values of any one particular group."
Abstinence-only education as we know it first came into effect in 1996
as part of "welfare reform." President Bush now requests $270 million in
federal funds to be allocated to funding the abstinence-only program, on
top of the initial $10 million per state per year that was part of the
original five-year plan.
The Religious Right has the President's ear, and Bush speaks of
abstinence as a matter of "conscience" for young Americans; this kind of
attitude-which pervades abstinence-only education-presents sexual activity
not as a choice about maturity and health but as one about morality.
The abstinence-only education program taught in public schools holds as
one of its core tenets "that a mutually faithful monogamous relationship
in the context of marriage is the expected standard of human sexual
activity." Statements such as this one presuppose a religion-based idea of
sexual morality that is both out of line with the current reality and with
the personal values of many Americans: it has no place in our public
schools.
Furthermore, abstinence-only curricula perpetuate male/female
stereotypes and heteronormativity, and present simplistic explanations of
human biology. Unlike comprehensive sex education programs that have been
shown to encourage teens to delay sexual activity and to use protection,
abstinence-only sex education does little to lower pregnancy rates and has
been shown to lead to greater exposure to sexually transmitted diseases.
The advocates of abstinence-only programs are attempting to use public
schools as a venue for promoting the fundamentalist Christian message at
the expense of all others. We as Humanists should not stand by and allow
this to take place.
ACTION
It is essential that we reinstate comprehensive sex education and get
this fundamentalist message out of public schools.
Speak out against abstinence-only programs that endanger the health of
America's youth: sign the AHA's Statement on
Sexuality.
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