Sex Education

Students deserve sex education programs that provide the information and skills necessary to make informed, responsible, and healthy decisions to reduce unintended pregnancy,partner-on-partner violence, STIs and HIV and have satisfying relationships. Sex education in publicly funded schools must be medically accurate and free from religious influence.

Abstinence-only education is religiously motivated and ineffective. Eighty-eight percent of students break their abstinence pledges and two-thirds of high school students have had sex. Comprehensive sex education leads to a measurable reduction in early sex, unprotected sex, and number of sexual partners.

Abstinence-only programs lead to no measurable reductions in early sex or number of sex partners, and lead to a measurable increase in unprotected sex. American youth deserve medically sound sex education programs that address their needs.