by David Safier
A little over a week ago, Governor Napolitano made Arizona the 16th state to refuse abstinence-only money from the federal government. She gave two reasons. First, abstinence-only education doesn’t work. Second, it costs Arizona matching funds the state can ill afford, given our current budget woes.
When it comes to education, I’m not concerned about the state’s money problems. My attitude is, good educational programs deserve to be fully funded. (There I go again, sounding just like one of those tax-and-spend liberals.) But I am concerned about education that fosters a group’s ideological agenda instead of helping students.
Recent studies indicate that abstinence-only education has failed in its attempt to decrease sexual activity among teens. Some studies even suggest it might increase the possibility of unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Since I don’t believe that any study in education is definitive, it would be hypocritical for me to lean on this particular finding and say, “Now we have the answer, abstinence-only education is a failure.”
So let me approach this from a teacher’s standpoint. In a sex education class, a teacher stands in front of 35 students and tells them they should abstain from sex, giving them a number of facts and figures (often mixing an unhealthy dose of misinformation in with those “facts and figures”) as well as a few doses of moral persuasion. How effective do you imagine that will be in controlling the actions (and raging hormones) of 35 students when they leave the classroom?
I honestly believe I was a good teacher, and I think, in general, my students respected me and listened to me. That means I had a shot at adding to their skill levels and their knowledge and even imparting a concept or two along the way. But was my influence powerful enough to change the way my 150 plus students behaved when they left my classroom?
The answer is no. A few students might come to me for individual guidance, and I might be able to give them some advice that they would follow. But anyone who believes teenagers hang on every word uttered by their teachers, and their parents, and their priests/ministers/rabbis/imams has not been around young people lately. The majority of my students would not make major changes in their behavior based on my words.
Let a sex ed teacher promote abstinence, but give students the information they need about birth control as well. Denying students information about ways they can protect themselves borders on neglect.
Abstinence-only education hasn’t come cheap, by the way. Counting both federal money and matching funds from the states, we have spent $1.5 billion on abstinence-only since 1996.
I’m encouraged that sixteen states have turned down federal abstinence-only funds. It tells me that the Morality Bullies are beginning to lose their power. For years, they’ve been puffing out their chests and elevating their chins in moral indignation, saying, “If you let students know about contraception, you’re advocating promiscuity. Teaching about birth control is just telling the students it’s fine to go out and have sex with as many people as they want.” And they’ve shamed others into being silent.
It’s my hope that more and more people are willing to stand up and Just Say No to the abstinence-only moral bullies.