Melvella Bryant was delighted when her 12-year-old daughter said she
wanted to wait until marriage to have sex. But Bryant is concerned the
seventh-grader may hear a different message at her public school.
“I want my daughter’s school to reinforce, not contradict, what I’m
teaching at home,” says Bryant, of Yonkers, N.Y. “I want her school to
support her decision to wait until marriage.”
Bryant’s view is hardly unique among parents, according to a recent national survey.
The survey shows that 79 percent of parents with children ages 9 to
16 want them to receive abstinence education. Support among
African-Americans parents, like Bryant, is even higher, with 86 percent
supporting abstinence education for their child.
“This survey’s findings shows abstinence education is a women’s
issue, a Hispanic issue, an African-American issue, a health issue and a
common-sense issue with strong support across ethnic groups, age
demographics and political affiliation,” says Valerie Huber, president
of the National Abstinence Education Foundation (NAEF), which
commissioned the survey.
Other findings include:
* Nearly eight of 10 Democrats and nine of 10 Republicans support abstinence education.
* Almost 60 percent of Democrats and more than 70 percent of
Republicans oppose the idea of eliminating all funding for abstinence
education.
* Democrats and Republicans alike support more equality in funding between abstinence education and comprehensive sex education.
* Eighty-five percent of parents believe that all youth, including
homosexual youth, benefit from skills that help them choose to wait for
sex.
Now a parent with a 14-year-old son, Katrina Hobbs of Conway, Ark.,
recalls how she didn’t hear a positive message about abstinence in her
home or at her school.
“I never heard the beauty of why you should wait,” says Hobbs. “I
really wish I had heard that message so I could have had all of the
information I needed to make a good decision. I want that for my son.”
The survey shows nearly nine in 10 parents strongly support their
children knowing the limitations of condoms for preventing pregnancy and
disease. Hobbs wants her son to have those facts as well.
“You can’t help but see the truth in abstinence,” says Hobbs. “It’s
self-evident that if you are abstaining until marriage, there is zero
chance of pregnancy. It’s self evident that if you are abstaining there
is zero chance of sexually transmitted diseases and zero chance of
emotional scars that come with all those broken sexual relationships.”
While other surveys have addressed opinions on sex education in
general with a question or two about abstinence education, this is the
most extensive poll focusing specifically on abstinence education's
approach and themes.
Conducted by Pulse Opinion Research in mid-September, the survey
asked 23 questions of 1,683 parents across the country with children
ages 9-16. The survey’s margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage
points.
A full survey report and an opportunity to sign an open letter to
Congress that asks for increased abstinence education funding can be
found at www.whattheytoldus.org, a website that reports polling data
about abstinence education.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Sex education 'lacking' in schools
Near one third of Irish people have not recieved any form of sex education at school.
Nearly a third of Irish people have not received any form of sexual health education in secondary school, a new survey has revealed.
The global average of those who did not receive sexual health education in school stands at 22 per cent, but in Ireland that figure rises to 30 per cent, according to the Durex Sexual Wellbeing Global Survey.
The survey of 29,994 adults in 36 countries was carried out as part of National Condom Week by Harris Interactive.
It shows that 55 per cent of 18-year-olds will leave Irish secondary level with some formal sexual health education but an additional 15 per cent of people said they cannot remember their school's attempt at sex education.
Nearly half of all survey participants said their friends are a major source of sexual education, with books, magazines and mainstream television all ranking more informative than school.
The survey also revealed the average number of sexual partners for men was 17 while the women surveyed said they had eight different partners on average.
National Condom week, which kicks off today and concludes on October 21st, aims to promote safe and well-informed sex, according to brand manager for Durex Ireland Hazel Roche.
“National Condom Week gives us the chance to ensure safer sex is at the forefront of everyone's minds. By partnering with the [Dublin Aids Alliance] and [Union of Students in Ireland] we want to raise the awareness of the value of good sexual health education, and the importance of safer sex,” she said.
“It is vital that we educate our nation because a condom can quite literally be a lifesaver.”
Throughout the week, over 30,000 condoms and information cards will be handed out by the Dublin Aids Alliance.
“This is our ninth year supporting Durex with National Condom Week and we did not hesitate to commit our time and energy again,” DAA’s coordinator for prevention education and training Susan Donlon said.
“We are thrilled that this year Durex has supplied us with 30,000 condoms to distribute to communities throughout Ireland, including young people and at risk groups.”
Nearly a third of Irish people have not received any form of sexual health education in secondary school, a new survey has revealed.
The global average of those who did not receive sexual health education in school stands at 22 per cent, but in Ireland that figure rises to 30 per cent, according to the Durex Sexual Wellbeing Global Survey.
The survey of 29,994 adults in 36 countries was carried out as part of National Condom Week by Harris Interactive.
It shows that 55 per cent of 18-year-olds will leave Irish secondary level with some formal sexual health education but an additional 15 per cent of people said they cannot remember their school's attempt at sex education.
Nearly half of all survey participants said their friends are a major source of sexual education, with books, magazines and mainstream television all ranking more informative than school.
The survey also revealed the average number of sexual partners for men was 17 while the women surveyed said they had eight different partners on average.
National Condom week, which kicks off today and concludes on October 21st, aims to promote safe and well-informed sex, according to brand manager for Durex Ireland Hazel Roche.
“National Condom Week gives us the chance to ensure safer sex is at the forefront of everyone's minds. By partnering with the [Dublin Aids Alliance] and [Union of Students in Ireland] we want to raise the awareness of the value of good sexual health education, and the importance of safer sex,” she said.
“It is vital that we educate our nation because a condom can quite literally be a lifesaver.”
Throughout the week, over 30,000 condoms and information cards will be handed out by the Dublin Aids Alliance.
“This is our ninth year supporting Durex with National Condom Week and we did not hesitate to commit our time and energy again,” DAA’s coordinator for prevention education and training Susan Donlon said.
“We are thrilled that this year Durex has supplied us with 30,000 condoms to distribute to communities throughout Ireland, including young people and at risk groups.”
Comprehensive sex education has a role
The Gazette Editorial Board
–
Sex education can be a touchy subject for school districts.
Most,
rightly, don’t want to stick their noses too far into such personal and
emotional subject matter; one which touches on a number of core values
for families.
And
it’s only right that parents take the central responsibility for
sharing their own values and expectations with their children about
sexual activity, relationships and reproductive health. Still, there are
health-related matters all young people should know about, especially
when it comes to sex.
Iowa
does not have required sex ed curricula and a recent survey by the
Sexual Health Alliance of Linn & Johnson Counties found that local
school districts have widely varying curricula when it comes to sex ed.
Some
area students are receiving comprehensive instruction regarding
sexuality, contraception, abstinence, healthy relationships, sexually
transmitted diseases and related issues. Others aren’t learning nearly
as much.
We
don’t think the state needs to mandate sex education programs, but the
State Department of Education can and should play a supporting role,
making it easy for districts to access curriculum choices that are
research-based and focus on health and decision-making.
Well-designed sex ed curricula are a valuable part of any comprehensive health education program.
Respected
education associations have worked hard to craft standards for sex
education that don’t presume to circumvent family beliefs about when and
under what circumstances a young person should become sexually active.
Contrary
to what some people believe, comprehensive sex ed programs don’t put
the idea of sex into teenagers’ heads, or otherwise encourage sexual
activity.
Several
studies, including one released this past spring by researchers
affiliated with the Guttmacher Institute, a non-profit sexual and
reproductive health research organization, show that sex ed can help
delay the onset of sexual activity, reduce the frequency of sex and
number of sexual partners and increase safer-sex practices.
Districts
and parents need to have the final say, of course, about what students
learn. However, the ongoing struggle against teen pregnancy and alarming
recent rise of sexually transmitted diseases among young people is
reason enough for every district to strongly consider providing
comprehensive sex education.
Opinion: Sex education must be reformed to combat sexual abuse
This post carries a trigger warning for domestic abuse, sexual assault and rape.
The allegations of Jimmy Savile’s serial sexual abuse of young girls have been met with universal outrage. It has helped many more women to speak up about their own horrific stories. Rape and sexual harassment happens to women daily across the country, the majority of whom never speak up.
I was raped by a friend from university earlier this year. He never apologised and I suffered abuse from his friends worse than the incident itself. They routinely mimicked my screams under the guise of ‘lad banter’. The boys have never acknowledged that the event was rape, believing that ‘if a man is with a woman it is his biological urge to have sex’. I was isolated and felt like a ‘drama queen’ for being affected and upset about the situation. I blamed myself for over-reacting, not my rapist. This is a common symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
I discussed the incident with a female friend whose reactions exposed serious flaws in our society and exposd attitudes which must be changed. She commented very blankly that every woman she knew had suffered from rape or, at the very least, sexual harassment. She told me about a relationship in which she was routinely beaten, as well as date raped. She told me of abandonment by her female friends and ‘slut shaming’ amongst her social group. She too felt isolated and blamed herself. None of the men have shown remorse.
I have asked male friends about their perceptions towards sex. Responses have been concerning. Alongside the belief that sex is a ‘biological urge’, men do not understand what constitutes consent. One blamed years of watching pornography for his attitudes towards women. Indeed, the pornographic standard of anal sex convinced teenage girls at my school that it was the expected norm. Of course, it isn’t just pornography that confuses young people. Magazines like Cosmopolitan also have their fair share of peculiar sex tips. With an education based entirely upon pornography and magazine articles, young people have a bizarre perception of sex.
People will always have access to pornography and Liberal Democrats must not attempt to ban its distribution. Porn can be empowering and healthy when it isn’t degrading. Young people are always looking for sex advice and often get false information from the internet. We can attempt to change men’s attitudes towards women through curriculum reform in Personal, Health and Social Education. The current teachings of contraception must be expanded to include gender and sex equality. I am not calling for instructional sex classes but it is important to educate children about what is acceptable conduct in a sexual relationship, and what constitutes abuse.
Unfortunately there is a long way to go to even have these proposals considered. British society is still prudish about talking about sex and equality. We are still struggling to allow people who love each other to get married. Equal marriage still warrants 900 protestors to rally together against love. Trying to reform sex education will take some time. I just hope that until then more women can speak openly about abuse, instead of suffering alone in silence.
* Anne Smith is a pseudonym. The author's name has been changed to protect her identity.
The allegations of Jimmy Savile’s serial sexual abuse of young girls have been met with universal outrage. It has helped many more women to speak up about their own horrific stories. Rape and sexual harassment happens to women daily across the country, the majority of whom never speak up.
I was raped by a friend from university earlier this year. He never apologised and I suffered abuse from his friends worse than the incident itself. They routinely mimicked my screams under the guise of ‘lad banter’. The boys have never acknowledged that the event was rape, believing that ‘if a man is with a woman it is his biological urge to have sex’. I was isolated and felt like a ‘drama queen’ for being affected and upset about the situation. I blamed myself for over-reacting, not my rapist. This is a common symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
I discussed the incident with a female friend whose reactions exposed serious flaws in our society and exposd attitudes which must be changed. She commented very blankly that every woman she knew had suffered from rape or, at the very least, sexual harassment. She told me about a relationship in which she was routinely beaten, as well as date raped. She told me of abandonment by her female friends and ‘slut shaming’ amongst her social group. She too felt isolated and blamed herself. None of the men have shown remorse.
I have asked male friends about their perceptions towards sex. Responses have been concerning. Alongside the belief that sex is a ‘biological urge’, men do not understand what constitutes consent. One blamed years of watching pornography for his attitudes towards women. Indeed, the pornographic standard of anal sex convinced teenage girls at my school that it was the expected norm. Of course, it isn’t just pornography that confuses young people. Magazines like Cosmopolitan also have their fair share of peculiar sex tips. With an education based entirely upon pornography and magazine articles, young people have a bizarre perception of sex.
People will always have access to pornography and Liberal Democrats must not attempt to ban its distribution. Porn can be empowering and healthy when it isn’t degrading. Young people are always looking for sex advice and often get false information from the internet. We can attempt to change men’s attitudes towards women through curriculum reform in Personal, Health and Social Education. The current teachings of contraception must be expanded to include gender and sex equality. I am not calling for instructional sex classes but it is important to educate children about what is acceptable conduct in a sexual relationship, and what constitutes abuse.
Unfortunately there is a long way to go to even have these proposals considered. British society is still prudish about talking about sex and equality. We are still struggling to allow people who love each other to get married. Equal marriage still warrants 900 protestors to rally together against love. Trying to reform sex education will take some time. I just hope that until then more women can speak openly about abuse, instead of suffering alone in silence.
* Anne Smith is a pseudonym. The author's name has been changed to protect her identity.
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