Title: Values-based sexuality education: confronting extremists to get the message across.

POPLINE Document Number: 076074

Author(s):

Gordon S

Source citation:

SIECUS REPORT, 1992 Aug-Sep;20(6):1-4.

Abstract:

The teenage pregnancy rate remains high and more and more people are becoming infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and AIDS. Educators try to effectively communicate values based messages on sexual health, sexuality, and safer sex. Yet reactionaries who tend to attribute widespread moral decadence to sexuality educators are often in positions of power at the state and national levels. They do not realize that at the most only 10% of US children are exposed to anything close to sex education. Most sex education is limited to anatomy and sexual abstinence. Youth need to know about anatomy and that sexual abstinence is preferable but they also need to know how to prevent pregnancy and protect themselves from STDs and AIDS. Sexuality educators are not taking advantage of the fact that most people in the US and Canada (80-86%) approve of sexuality education in the schools including contraception information. Sex education program task forces often try to appease the small number of extremists which results in an effective and potentially harmful program. The 1st step of such a task force should be to outline operational guidelines about closure of debate and the recognition that unanimity is not required or not necessarily always wanted. Sex educators need to communicate that they too favor moral and ethically based sex education. They also need to convey that youth armed with knowledge about sex tend to delay 1st intercourse and to use contraceptives. Sex educators must morally commit to democratic ideals and allow reflection on controversial issues such as abortion. They need to reflect on why they have not been able to move beyond this moralistic position of the extremists and identify strategies to convey safer sex messages. This article has several sidebars with messages to adolescents touching on love, sexuality, self-esteem, and contraception.

Keywords:

United States
Canada
Critique
Philosophical Overview
Sex Education
Value Orientation
Adolescents
Anatomy
Abstinence
Ethics
Knowledge
Attitude
First Intercourse
Premarital Sex Behavior
Contraceptive Usage
Education
Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention
AIDS Prevention
Adolescent Pregnancy
Teachers
Sexuality
Risk Reduction Behavior
Condom
Research Activities
Developed Countries
North America
Americas
North America, Northern
Psychological Factors
Behavior
Youth
Age Factors
Population Characteristics
Demographic Factors
Population
Biology
Family Planning, Behavioral Methods
Family Planning
Sex Behavior
Contraception
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Reproductive Tract Infections
Infections
Diseases
AIDS
HIV Infections
Viral Diseases
Reproductive Behavior
Fertility
Population Dynamics
Personality
Barrier Methods
Contraceptive Methods
Research Methodology