Maristel Barrientos

(APA Format)
Sex Education Approaches: Abstinence-Only vs. Comprehensive
Research Question: Which sexual education approach should be implemented by educational

systems in the U.S. to prevent teen pregnancies and STIs/STDs?

Editorial Thesis: Abstinence-only programs should be eliminated and instead, the

comprehensive sex education approach should be adopted by all educational institutions to

address the necessary information needed in protecting future generations from negative and

unwanted consequences from sexual behaviors.

Introduction
Current controversy exists in determining what type of sexual education programs should

be implemented for educating young children and developing teenagers because of the belief that

the presented information can either be provocative or preventative in their future sexual

decisions. Abstinence-only, also known as "abstinence-only-until marriage" education methods

encourages that refraining from sex is the only means of birth control and one should not engage

in sex until marriage (Starkman & Rajani, 2002). On the other hand, comprehensive sex education

explains the benefits of abstinence while justifying the use of contraception and disease

prevention methods in sexual engagement (Starkman & Rajani, 2002). Recent studies have shown

that comprehensive sex education is much more effective than the abstinence-only approach in

various aspects. However, only 23 states have rejected the abstinence-only approach, suggesting

that they also included other sexual education information that is not strictly within the

abstinence-only guidelines ("State Sex Education, n.d.). Therefore, abstinence-only programs

should be eliminated and instead, the effective comprehensive sex education approach should be

adopted by all educational institutions to address the necessary information needed in protecting

future generations from negative and unwanted consequences from sexual behaviors.
Alford, S. (2001). Sex education programs: Definitions & point-by-point comparison. Advocates

for Youth.

a. This article defines both sex education approaches and the various components

and topics that sets them apart.

b. Alford (2001) states that comprehensive sex education includes topics such as

human development, social skills, sexual expressions, relationships, sexual health

and society and culture. I will use this article to explain to my audience the

differences in the curriculum of both education approaches. This will allow me to

distinguish both programs and allow my audience to judge the programs on their

own based off their definitions. Comprehensive sex education poses positive

messages about sexuality and sexual expression while including the benefits of

abstinence.

Carter, D. (2012). Comprehensive sex education for teens is more effective than abstinence. AJN

The American Journal of Nursing, 112(3), 15.

a. Carter (2012) provides statistical information on the negative effects and results of

the sexual education programs that exists in America.

b. He states that America has the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and STDs

among developed countries (Carter, 2012). He associated these results to the fact

that abstinence-only has been the most common approach applied in school

systems ever since the government funded the program in 1996. This gives

evidence to support abandoning the abstinence-only program since it does not

efficiently present preventative measures in sexual education.

Stanger-Hall, K. F., & Hall, D. W. (2011). Abstinence-only education and teen pregnancy rates:

why we need comprehensive sex education in the US. PLoS One, 6(10), e24658.
 a. Stanger-Hall and Hall (2011) review statistics and studies evaluating the

effectiveness of both sexual health approaches, concluding that comprehensive

sex education is more preventative.

b. This source explains comprehensive sexual education effectiveness when

compared to abstinence-only sex programs. This article presents existing

counterarguments against comprehensive sexual education as some argue that it

sends mixed messages and promotes sexual activity. Stanger-Hall and Hall

expressed that states that taught comprehensive sex education has lower rates of

teenage pregnancies and HIV/STD infections. It concludes that comprehensive

education prevents sexual risks more effectively than abstinence-only programs.

Potera, C. (2008). Comprehensive Sex Education Reduces Teen Pregnancies. AJN The American

Journal of Nursing, 108(7), 18.

a. This article evaluates comprehensive sex education using results from the 2002

National Survey of Family Growth concluding its effectiveness in reducing sexual

risks.
b. The survey reveals that teens who received comprehensive sexual education were

50% less likely to report pregnancies than teens with abstinence-only education

(Potera, 2008). This article provides evaluation of both programs and shows that

comprehensive sex education is more effective in reducing the amount of teenage

pregnancies. I will use this information to support the fact that even though

comprehensive education informs teens on contraceptives, it reduces teen

pregnancy more than just teaching abstinence.