NAEA Opposed To Providing Contraception In Public Schools - More Than Half Of People Surveyed By AP Not Even Parents

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 05 Nov 2007 - 4:00 PDT

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The National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA) is opposed to providing contraception to children in public schools.

"Children deserve more than to simply be handed condoms or prescribed birth control pills," said Valerie Huber, Executive Director, NAEA. "When a middle school child becomes sexually active, this usually indicates that there are issues much greater than whether or not the young person will become pregnant. Providing contraception is a band-aid approach to a much larger issue. In addition, we know that younger children are often the victims of sexual abuse, so we cannot ignore legal issues of sexual consent or statutory rape."

A breakdown of the The Associated Press (AP) poll shows that only 30 percent of those questioned believed schools should provide contraception to children without parental consent, and 63 percent of the adults polled by the AP are not even parents. The poll shows a narrow divide among respondents who support birth control and comprehensive sex education in schools versus parents who prefer abstinence education.

"Most parents are unaware of the real difference between so-called comprehensive sex education and abstinence education," said Huber, "Abstinence education provides young people the tools needed to build healthy relationship, while also offering information about contraception and STDs. This is done while sending a clear message that abstaining from sex is the safest and healthiest choice. In Georgia, when abstinence education was mandated by the State, the number of teenage pregnancies was cut in half, and has been on the decline for 11 straight years. In California, a state that consistently rejects funds for abstinence education programs, the STD rates among young people are at an all-time high."

In June, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a report showing comprehensive sex education spends little time promoting the value of abstinence, but does provide methods for sexual stimulation, role-plays on how to help a partner maintain an erection and suggests teens wear "shades as a disguise" when shopping for condoms so "adults and parents" won't recognize them. That same HHS report shows the commonly used comprehensive sex education programs have little or no effective on delaying the onset of a teen's sexual behavior. That study highlighted some of the most popular comprehensive sex education curricula used in schools and found that children as young as 13 were being taught that "showering together" and "cuddling naked" are appropriate "abstinence" activities.

"Children get plenty of mixed messages about sex from the media. How should we expect them to understand the hazards related to casual sex when they hear such confusing and risk-laden messages in their classrooms?" said Huber. "A recent Zogby International Poll showed that when parents have a clear understanding of the differences between abstinence education and comprehensive sex education, parents prefer abstinence education two to one. Abstinence education is the most responsible medium for teaching students the risks involved in having casual sex, and preparing children to make the safest choices about their own sexual behavior."

About NAEA

The National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA) is comprised of leading abstinence educators and supporters who represent 1.5 million children across the U.S.

http://www.abstinenceassociation.org