Parents Criticize Abstinence-Only Program, Ask for Comprehensive Sex Education in DeKalb County, Ga

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 02 Feb 2005 - 9:00 PDT

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(USA) - Parents in DeKalb County, Ga., last week challenged school district officials about a new federally funded abstinence-only sex education program being introduced in eighth-grade health classes, calling instead for more comprehensive information to be included, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. During a presentation for the abstinence-until-marriage Choosing the Best program, about 50 parents -- including physicians, scientists and researchers -- said students should receive more "thorough" information about pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease prevention, according to the Journal-Constitution. The program's critics said the "negative approach" to contraceptive use and disease prevention, including a focus on the failure rate of condoms, could "discourage" sexually active teens from protecting themselves, according to the Journal-Constitution. Parents also questioned the accuracy of the program's information on suicide and emotional problems experienced by teenagers who engage in sexual activity. According to the Journal-Constitution, the Choosing the Best program is "one of several federally funded programs caught in a national debate over the medical accuracy and political underpinnings of abstinence-only initiatives" (Sansbury, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/29). According to a report released in December 2004 by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) that was based on a review of 13 of the most commonly used federally funded abstinence-only sex education curricula, 11 of the programs contained "unproved claims, subjective conclusions or outright falsehoods regarding reproductive health, gender traits and when life begins" (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 1/18).

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"We feel passionate about the issue of sex education that's going to protect not just our kids, but the global community," Tanya Cassingham, an Emory University AIDS research coordinator and middle school parent, said. She also asked why the district chose a program that was not "peer-reviewed" by scientists to ensure medically accurate information, according to the Journal-Constitution. "We're working on that," Choosing the Best CEO Bruce Cook, who also chairs the state Department of Human Resources board, said, adding that the materials are "medically accurate," according to the Journal-Constitution. School board member Lynn Cherry Grant said she is "concerned" about the "conservative agenda" behind the abstinence-only program, adding, "The desire for abstinence among children should certainly be emphasized. But at the same time, you don't pretend nothing else is possibly going to go on." County officials said the program is supplementary material and does not represent a change in philosophy or approach. Teachers are allowed to use "as much or as little" of the material as they want, according to the Journal-Constitution (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/29).

"Reprinted with permission from . You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/repro The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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