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SEX EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Taking the comprehensive path:

Sex education needs to shift focus
Ivanna Tucker
Linfield College

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Table of Contents
Preface..3
Abstract7
Essay8
Introduction..8
Teen Pregnancy Prevention in the United States ....9
Issues with State Regulations ....10
Qualities of an effective program ..12
Impacting Adolescent Sexual Behavior ....12
Properly Trained Educators ......12
Science and Medically-accurate Information .......13
Inclusiveness of all Groups ...13
Importance of Parental Support ....14
Comprehensive Programs .....15
Abstinence-plus programs as an Alternative ....18
Conclusion.19
References.20

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Preface
I like to refer to myself as a night owl. When it comes to homework and projects,
I find that I work better late at night. Throughout this semester, I have spent countless late
nights working on warm ups, annotations and this final paper. Every night, my Zedd or
Frank Ocean Pandora station will be on full blast pushing me through the late hours and
early mornings.
Time management was one of the hardest parts of this class. I did not realize how
much time and effort I needed to put forth into every assignment until I started. Every
week, I had to balance 10 hours of working in the library, Sundays dedicated to
newspaper, five classes, dance ensemble and sorority meetings. At first, I thought I could
handle everything I put onto my plate. I learned that in order to be successful, I had to
make sacrifices, but it was hard to choose what to let go. By the end of it, I ended up
being able to do it all to a certain extent.
Throughout this whole experience, dance became my sanity. When I went to
dance class, I decided that Info Gathering did not need to cross my mind. I do not know if
I would have survived the class without having time to dance. It also became a
distraction. Sometimes I would use dance as a way to avoid doing homework, adding to
my multiple occurrences of procrastination.
Being a double major in Mass Communication and Communication Arts is no
help for this class. I had to balance using my personal voice in my academic style papers.
It was so hard to let go of something that I have worked to develop for the last two years.
This semester I also took the Performing Literature class, which taught me how important
it is to shift tones to fit your audience.
My favorite moment this semester was when I had debates in my Human
Sexuality class. I did not realize how much I knew about my topic until I started referring
to studies and articles that I found throughout the semester. My professor was thoroughly
impressed on how informed I was on sex education and that I was able to bring up points

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that no one in the class thought of. I did not pick this topic because of this class. I was
interested in why everyone does not receive the same sex education curriculum and why
it is such a controversial issue.
The major difficulty that I had to face was getting my wisdom teeth removed right
before our final annotations were due. I did not know how I was going to be able to
complete them while taking pain medication. It was actually entertaining and great
learning experience. I learned to adapt what I was doing to fit the circumstances. After
lots of naps and wake up calls, I finished my annotations. It was the best feeling I have
ever experienced. I did not know what to do or say after I turned it in, so I cried.
This class was the most difficult class that I have taken in my life. I am glad to
have experienced it, but I would not want to do it again. Before taking the class, I heard
all of the horror stories that came along with it from past students. Some of my friends
complained about the lack of social life they had and all of the hours of sleep they lost. I
completely agree with them after experiencing it myself. The best advice that they gave
me was to get it out of the way as soon as possible. I am glad that I took it as a
sophomore because now I can enjoy my last two years at Linfield knowing that I am
prepared for about anything.
The most shocking moment of this class was when I realized that I wrote over
150 pages over the course of the semester on one topic. This is six times the length of
what my senior thesis will be. Its crazy to think someone is actually able to write about
one topic for that long, but it is possible. Now I am not stressed about writing my thesis
senior year because I am prepared.
Working with people from the class, allowed me to gain a close group of friends
that I appreciate very much. I definitely would have failed without them. They were my
main support system who would cheer me up and motivate me to continue working
during those moments where I just wanted to give up.

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Midway through the semester, I found that I needed to stop complaining about
what I needed to get done and just do it. It took a lot of motivation and dedication to get
the grades that I deserved. For a long time, I was receiving the same grade on
assignments and it frustrated me so much. After talking to Susan, she helped me realize
how I can improve and I saw a drastic improvement in my work on the next assignments.
Grammar is not my best friend. I learned that I love content and research but if
someone would have asked me how well my grammar was I would probably feel
ashamed. Throughout the semester, I have improved immensely on grammar because I
now can catch errors in my paper where I miss words or do not sound scholarly.
I learned that I work well under pressure. No wonder why I received the best
procrastinator award my senior year. I do not want to experience some of the
procrastinating that I chose to do this semester again. Every time I surprisingly finished
the assignment. It is hard to break old habits.
The aspects I would change about the class are having more annotations due
before we complete the outline and making the third interview due with the other two.
This will ensure that we have more sources to work from before we start our outline and
it gets the third interview out of the way.
My roommate Chelsea is probably the first person I want to thank. She has dealt
with my complaining and me coming back to the room at late hours all semester. I dont
know how she deals with me or why she is going to live with me next year.
I would also like to thank the Renshaw Crew Alyssa Townsend, Carrie Skuzeski,
Sarah Mason and Chris Haddeland for always being there for motivation and editing my
papers. They helped me polish my papers so that I did not have red marks bleeding
through my paper. I especially want to thank Chris for being my partner-in-crime and
staying up in Renshaw with me during our numerous all-nighters. He helped me not sleep
even when I really wanted to and pulled me away from all of my random YouTube and

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Facebook breaks. My papers probably would not be finished without his encouragement
and harassment.
In addition, I thank Shelby VandeBergh, Kelsey Sutton and Sara Miller for taking
the time to edit my annotations and providing advice to survive the semester.
My mother and siblings are also people I would like to thank for providing
endless encouragement and support throughout the semester. They constantly reminded
me that I was capable to accomplish whatever I put my mind to.
Id like to thank Michael Metters and my little Katie Rees for encouraging me this
semester and taking care of me when I was dosed up on pain medication. They both have
spent countless late nights with me while I worked on my paper and I am thankful to
have them in my life. I want to thank Professor Thompson and Susan for teaching me
more about myself this semester and making me a better writer.
Lastly, I would like to thank all of my sorority sisters for being so supportive and
understanding why I havent been as active of a member this semester.
Its time for me to conclude this paper, since the sun has risen and I have to still
edit my paper one last time before turning it in.

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Abstract
This paper discusses how the federal government should require comprehensive sex
education programs in order to reduce teen pregnancy rates. It explains the current issue
with teen pregnancy prevention programs and how states should not regulate curriculum
choices. Many schools do not have sex education programs because states do not require
them to have it included in the health curriculum. The federal government should provide
general guidelines for curriculums to ensure youth are receiving the information that they
need. It also looks at what qualities make a program effective. A sex education program
that is effective will impact adolescent sexual behavior, have properly trained educators,
be inclusive toward all groups, have science and fact-based information and engaged
parent involvement. Lastly, the paper explains why comprehensive programs are more
effective than abstinence-based programs. It presents abstinence-plus as an alternative
for more conservative communities. This paper concludes that in order for sex education
to be successful, there needs to be a combined effort from the school, parents and the
community.
Keywords: sex education, comprehensive, federal, state legislature, abstinence, teen
pregnancy, prevention

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Introduction
Forty-nine percent of teen pregnancies in the United States are unintended
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). The federal government has put
more focus on sex education programs in hope of lowering the national teen pregnancy
rate. Many curriculums installed in school districts do not meet the needs of the
communities that the information is presented in. In addition, there are schools that do not
have any type of sex education in its health curriculum. Without sex education, the teen
pregnancy and sexual transmitted disease rate will rise drastically because adolescents are
not receiving the information they need to prevent these issues. The United States has
created family planning services to help teach adolescents how to reduce their chances at
unintended pregnancies and engaging in risky sexual behavior (Solomon-Fears, 2013).
Since sex education is regulated at the state level, states are divided in what type of
curriculum should be taught in schools. Some states choose to teach abstinence programs,
while others feel that comprehensive programs are more effective (Stranger-Hall & Hall,
2011). States have taken extreme measures to ensure that a specific form of curriculum is
taught. For instance, Ohio is attempting to create a fine that will force instructors and
institutions to teach abstinence programs (Basset, 2013). If this passes, educators can be
sued up to $5,000 for making a simple sexual reference or showing support to individuals
and groups who promote not being abstinent. The federal government is a starting point
for states to gather information about types of sex education programs. It has the
capabilities to help reduce teen pregnancy rates (Lord, 2010).
This paper will first discuss the current issues with teen pregnancy prevention in
the United States and the process for curriculum selection. It will then explain what
qualities make a program effective. The paper will conclude on why comprehensive
programs are the most effective in reducing teen pregnancy rates. It will also explain how
abstinence-plus programs can serve as an alternative for more conservative communities.
Teen Pregnancy Prevention in the United States

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In the US, about 72 teenage girls out of every 1,000 become pregnant each year,
which labels the country as a nation with one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the
world (Stranger-Hall & Hall, 2011). In 2012, President Barack Obama reduced the
budget for abstinence programs to $55 million, a third of what President George Bush
made available during his administration (Kliff, 2012). On the other hand, comprehensive
programs received an increase in funding, with a budget of $114.5 million to teach ways
to reduce chances of teenage pregnancy (Facts on American Teens, 2012). The federal
government realized the focus of sex education needs to be shifted from teaching morals
to addressing the nations concerns. However, abstinence programs that prove to have
evidence-based information are given the opportunity to claim funds from this budget
(Kliff, 2012). Each program has to provide information that is based on scientific
research. This allows the materials to remain credible and help address the nations needs.
According to Kendall (2013), sex education programs should not focus on preventing
teen pregnancy but rather on helping teenagers develop into democratic citizens and
develop their own social norms. If sex education were to serve this purpose, none of the
sex-related issues will be addressed. Thus, sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy
rates will rise because these topics are not being stressed, which is the overall purpose of
sex education. Programs focused on teen pregnancy prevention help ensure that youth are
well prepared to protect themselves. In this comprehensive sexual health curriculum,
students learn how to have healthy relationships and sexual behavior (Solomon-Fears,
2013). Its focus is toward youth and ensuring that they receive the information they need
prior to their first sexual experience. Many youth do not receive any formal education
prior, which leads to them not being aware of risks that they can expose themselves to.
Prior to the implementation of teen pregnancy prevention, abstinence-only was
the main type of curriculum that was taught in schools (Lord, 2010). The selection
process now is based off what the school and state wants. The federal government only
provides the funds that the schools can draw from after they make their curriculum

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selection (Solomon-Fears, 2013). In Oregon, the legislature requires sex education in
every school and has a specialist come in to train teachers on the selected curriculum
(Victor, 2013). This helps make sure that instructors are teaching the required information
and are fitting the needs of the community. More at risk populations values are typically
harder to meet (Lewin, 2010). This forces the curriculum to be easily adaptable for other
groups or be inclusive. States, such as Mississippi, require abstinence-only programs
because of strict morals that exist in their community, which does not help educate youth
on alternative prevention methods once they engage in sexual activity.
Issues with State Regulations
There are multiples issues with states regulating sex education programs. The
information taught is not consistent because there are no strict guidelines set to ensure
each school is teaching the same information (Smothers, 2013). With the flexibility,
schools choose programs at their own discretion and can choose to censor information.
This can lead to students receiving misinformation or none at all. Youth need to learn all
aspects of sex education, with no differences between schools. The federal government
should have regulation over the sex education programs. With general federal guidelines,
youth are ensured a complete sex education with no information gaps. In most cases,
students receive little or no sex education because states do not require schools to have
formal instruction for students. States with this type of regulation also prove to have high
teen pregnancy rates because not all youth are receiving the necessary information
(Stranger-Hall & Hall, 2011). Also, some schools choose to just cut the program all
together because they do not have the funding to maintain it properly (Victor, 2013). If
more funds were allocated at the national level, then more schools can build strong sex
education programs. The state legislature has limited funding from the federal
government.
In addition, teachers are then given too much flexibility when choosing what is
taught in the curriculum. This can lead to critical information being left out because the

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teacher did not find it necessary to include (Woo, Soon, Thomas, & Kaneshiro, 2011). An
instructors personal, cultural and religious values can influence the decision on what
topics are being taught in the program. Topics such as contraceptives, condoms and STD
testing are commonly avoided in sex education because many programs are impacted by
the conservative beliefs of a community or instructor. Also, there is a fear of promoting
students to have sex (Bassett, 2013). Teachers are afraid of the retaliation of what would
happen if they included comprehensive health information. The federal government needs
to regulate programs so youth can receive a well-rounded sex education in schools rather
than from other sources. Many teens are not receiving any type of formal instruction
before their first sexual experience (Facts on American Teens, 2012). With no formal
instruction, teens are unknowledgeable about healthy sexual practices and forced to look
to other sources for information. For example, a college student in Mississippi was
completely unaware that she had three orifices in her lower body. Teenagers want to learn
about birth control methods and sexually transmitted disease prevention. They want to be
familiar with their bodies so that they can make correct decisions on how to protect it.
Since schools are not giving them the information they need, teens go to health centers or
other sources to find this information (Planned Parenthood Clinic, 2013). These sources
can give unreliable information and also teach them improper sexual behaviors. Males
are even starting to look at pornography as their main source for learning about sex
(Young, male and irresponsible, 2011). This provides them with false ideas on how
relationships and sex works, which will lead to issues in their future experiences. Schools
should be the main source for teens to receive information and most consistent.
Qualities of an Effective Program
Impacting Adolescent Sexual Behavior
In general, an effective sex education program is one that shows impact on
adolescent sexual behavior. Two of the main goals are either to encourage youth to
remain abstinent or practice safe sex. In a study (Comprehensive sex education, 2009),

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comprehensive sex education is seen as the most effective program to help delay first
sexual experiences. Comprehensive programs give information from a general standpoint
and teach the risks of engaging in sexual behavior. However, any type of formal sex
education proves to affect how long teens delay having sex (Lindberg & Maddow-Zimet,
2011). The critical impact that comprehensive programs have is that they help increase
contraceptive use. Abstinence programs tend to not discuss contraceptives or just explain
the risks of using them (Carr, 2012).
Properly Trained Educators
A critical aspect of effective programs is to have properly trained educators
teaching the curriculum to students (Connecticut State Department of Education, 2012).
States such as Connecticut and Oregon both have a specialist visit institutions to train
teachers on the specific curriculum to ensure they know the required information that
needs to be presented (Victor, 2013 & Connecticut State Department of Education, 2012).
Programs that typically do not train their teachers tend to lack funds to have professional
development because most of the money is put toward math and writing programs. For
example, in most classes in Mississippi, the teacher just reads information to the student,
and has no additional knowledge to answer questions (Carr, 2012). This does not help the
student because the teacher has no knowledge on how to present the material or what
information should be included. The instructors have to take additional courses that will
help develop them into well-rounded sex educators.
Science and Medically-accurate Information
The information present in an effective sex education program needs to be
science-based and medically accurate. This makes sure that the information is objective
and does not have personal beliefs impacting it. Youth are not solely learning about
peoples different personal opinion but rather information that was found in previous
research (Connecticut State Department of Education, 2012). Science and medical-based
facts are going to be more effective in sex education programs because they are already

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found as effective. There has been money allocated to programs that are found to be
ineffective because it is based purely off of morals (Lord, 2010). Morals do not teach
youth how to protect themselves during sex, but it does show the social consequences of
engaging in it. Some standpoints in morals are medically inaccurate, which can lead to
students receiving the wrong information. It is important to ensure morals are not the
foundation for points made and have science develop the facts.
Inclusiveness of all Groups
Effective programs are inclusive in the type of information that they present. In
most sex education programs, some groups are typically left out, such as the LGBT
community and the more at-risk populations (Smothers, 2013). This makes it so their
needs are not addressed, which does not help the nations goal of reducing the chance of
teens engaging in risky sexual behavior. The LGBT community is left out for various
reasons. In Mississippi, there is a state legal code that forbids homosexual acts, which
forces teachers to not discuss it (Kopsa, 2013). The youth that may need that information
pertaining to homosexual intercourse will not receive it and have higher chances of
engaging in unhealthy sexual behavior. In addition, the LGBT community is not seen at a
high risk of unintended pregnancy so their sexual behavior is not discussed (Smothers,
2013). It is important to address their sexual behaviors so that youth who may identify in
within the group can be able to learn healthy habits.
At-risk populations are often avoided in sex education curriculums because they
are shown to just ignore the information presented to them (Lewin, 2010). This
population needs to be focused on the most because they are helping cause the rise in the
teen pregnancy rate. Programs need to include them into the lesson by addressing their
issues as well as others. By including others, the curriculum will be more effective
because of its well-rounded information.
Importance of Parental Support

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Parental support is also a critical aspect of effective sex education programs. By
having them involved, it increases the chances of information reaching youth. According
to Carter (2012), parents tend to be more supportive of abstinence programs because it
helps teens avoid all negative outcomes of sex. However, Stranger-Hall and Hall (2011)
say that parents support comprehensive programs more because it helps address issues
that they do not necessarily want to discuss. Abstinence programs allow parents to avoid
talking about sex and other related issues. Witmer (2013) says that if youth do not receive
all of the information they need at school, parents need to make sure that their student is
taught it at home. This can sometimes lead to misinformation. Parents also need to make
sure they know accurate information to teach their children. The sex discussion is often
not happening at home, so it is important to have schools teach all the necessary
information (Smothers, 2013). Parents should only be there to remind the student of the
information as time goes on.
Comprehensive programs
Comprehensive is the most effective choice in curriculum for schools to use for
sex education. In this type of curriculum, there is information on contraceptives, sexual
identity and healthy relationships. There is typically no mention of abstinence but rather
information that will help promote delaying when a person has their first sexual
experience. According to Smothers (2013), sex is going to happen no matter what
curriculum is taught; therefore, it important to present information that will help students
develop healthy sexual behavior. It is important to ensure that teenagers are prepared to
protect themselves when they start having sex. Comprehensive programs teach youth
about the different ways to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Some
people argue that abstinence-only and abstinence-until-marriage programs help teach
values and morals of a community. These are aspects that youth need to be aware of as
they live in the community. However, this form of curriculum does not address the needs
of other groups that exist within a community, such as members of LGBT, minority

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groups and lower socioeconomic classes. Morals are constantly changing and develop as
society progresses. Facts, on the other hand, do not because they are based off of proven
research. Comprehensive programs help ensure that all students are getting their needs
met in the curriculum by addressing different practices of sex behavior (Connecticut State
Department of Education, 2012). Youth are able to get different perspectives of sexual
behavior and are able to create their own sexual identity based off of the information
presented. Some may argue that comprehensive programs will promote homosexuality,
but the sexual orientation is developed off of other factors, such as mental development
and biology.
In most abstinence programs, the curriculum is typically influenced by religious
beliefs and ideologies because the concept is a part of the Christian Right agenda
(Williams, 2011). In Christianity, a person is to remain abstinent until marriage and
engagement in the activity prior is seen as a sin. The United States has a high population
who follow some form of religion that shapes their morals. Religion is one of the key
influences educators say that makes them want to teach an abstinence curriculum (Woo,
Soon, Thomas, & Kaneshiro, 2011). Educators want to refrain from causing issues with
parents from different religious affiliations. In addition, they may also want to promote
their own religious ideology. Abstinence programs tend to be against gay and lesbian
rights and leave out information that is critical to preventing unintended pregnancy, such
as contraceptives (Kopsa, 2013). When contraceptives are mentioned, only the flaws are
exaggerated to emphasize its ineffectiveness. Contraceptives are important in pregnancy
prevention because it protects youth from pregnancy if they are choosing to have sex.
Abstinence programs only tell students not to have sex, which does not help once they
begin to. Comprehensive programs tend to be more neutral about religious beliefs, which
help the curriculum relate to a larger audience. In addition, both the positives and
negatives of contraceptive use are taught to students, which will lead to them using some
sort of birth control during sex. They will also be aware of the risks and are able to

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choose the form that best fits them. If abstinence programs even mention contraceptives,
only the risks of using them are discussed (Carr, 2012). This is used as a scare tactic to
force students to become abstinent, while comprehensive programs allow students a
variety of choices.
Material in comprehensive curriculums can be seen as sexually explicit because it
gives detailed descriptions of sexual acts, health issues and behaviors (Sex-Material
Laws, 2008). This includes how to engage in sex and how to use some of the
contraceptives. A photo of a male or females private area can be considered as explicit,
even if the intention is to be educational. Most states adapt abstinence programs so
teachers do not have to address sexual acts but rather the morals and values attached to it.
In abstinence education, the only message is to not have sex so sexual intercourse and
contraceptives are not discussed at all. The comprehensive curriculum can be changed to
be age appropriate for each grade level, which can help avoid issues about exposing
students to sexually explicit materials (Bohen, 2013). Chicago is beginning to teach
classes in kindergarten, but the state has provided a set of guidelines on what should and
should not be discussed in each grade. Within each grade, there is information educators
are required to teach and also some that should not be taught.
Males are commonly left out of sex education because most programs are targeted
at females. Comprehensive programs can help lower the rate of men engaging in risky
sex activity (Young, male and irresponsible, 2011). Most males do not have a direct
association with their formal sex education because their needs are not being addressed
(Facts on American Teens, 2012). Abstinence curriculums do not teach males how they
are a part of the pregnancy progress. The curriculum only encourages them to delay
having sex. With the comprehensive curriculum, male needs are met by giving them
information on condom use and sexually transmitted disease prevention. In addition, they
learn how they are able to get a woman pregnant. Men are less likely than women to
directly ask for assistance on sexual health issues (Planned Parenthood Clinic, 2013).

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Males tend to keep their issues to themselves and locate information from outside sources
on their own. They need a main source to receive information. Comprehensive programs
can help ensure they gain accurate information. In a normal clinic, out of 25 people that
come visit, only one or two will be male (Young, male and irresponsible, 2011). This
shows how it is important that schools include males into sex education because they
struggle to get help from outside sources, which can lead to futures. This includes
unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and unhealthy relationships.
Abstinence-plus programs as an alternative
Abstinence-plus programs are an alternative for more conservative areas. In some
communities, abstinence is the only acceptable message that can be presented through
sex education (Lewin, 2010). In order to reach these populations, some aspects of
abstinence curriculums must exist or it will not meet the needs of the community. With
this curriculum, abstinence is taught but it still discuses contraceptives. This gives a
balance between morals and science-based information. Teen pregnancy issues will not
be addressed if prevention methods are not discussed because teenagers need that
information to make healthy choices in their sexual behavior (Kopsa, 2013). In order to
meet the conservative needs of a community, the federal government has to provide a
choice that will meet their needs. Abstinence-plus programs are been found to be just as
effective as comprehensive programs in lowering the rate of pregnancy prevention, early
sexual initiation and sexually transmitted diseases (Lewin, 2010). The budget for
abstinence-plus programs is $75 million per year for the next five years (Solomon-Fears,
2013). This is more than abstinence-only programs because there is more research found
that shows it to be more effective. In addition, the abstinence-plus curriculum covers life
skills, healthy relationships and career success (Solomon-Fears, 2013). These are the
same topics that are discussed in comprehensive programs to help introduce the
communities to the more open-minded program.

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Communities that want to adapt the curriculum will need to show that general
public is against comprehensive sex education with majority vote. This helps ensure that
the publics needs are being met rather what the state government wants. The abstinenceplus program will only be instated for one calendar year and then the community will be
reevaluated. If there is an increase in support for comprehensive sex education, the
schools will be forced to change to the curriculum.
Conclusion
The federal government should require schools to teach comprehensive sex
education as a part of the health curriculum. State legislature has not regulated sex
education programs in schools due to lack of funding and federal support. The nations
goal is to educate youth on sex so that they can prevent raising the teen pregnancy rate.
Comprehensive programs will ensure all students are learning about contraceptives and
condom use. Abstinence curriculums are not teaching students how to protect themselves
but rather scaring them from it. This is not an effective way of educating them. If a
community needs to maintain some sort of abstinence education in their curriculum, they
can choose abstinence-plus as an alternative. The current status of teen pregnancy
prevention programs is a good start but need to be expanded further to ensure all youth
are able to receive the information. Some students do not have access to sex education or
have received misinformation on the subject. It is time for the federal government to
provide guidelines for the nation to follow. This provides consistency in the lessons.
Youth will be able to learn how to prevent unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted
diseases and risky sexual behavior. Comprehensive sex education is the way to ensure
youth are prepared prior to their first sexual experience. Some states are taking extreme
measures that are not helping with reducing chances of risky behavior but rather cause
more issues in the community. The federal government can solve this. Schools will be a
solid foundation for youth but it takes a collaborative effort from the parents, community
and institution to ensure the message is taught and understood.

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Lindberg, L.D., & Maddow-Zimet, I. (2011). Consequences of sex education on teen and
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