Teenage Sex Education and Federal funding
Saira Rizwan
January 08, 2008
The government, states, churches, schools, civil society groups and even Hollywood need to come forward to help solve the challenge of teenage pregnancies.
The debate on teenage sex education is failing to find a direction in America as the statistics show record growing numbers of teenage pregnancies. According to the CNN, 17 states do not support sex education in schools, 14 states support both contraception and abstinence education and 19 support only sex abstinence education.
The 19 states supporting sex abstinence educations are supported by the federal funds, where as the 17 states not supporting sex education are deprived of funds and 14 states are supporting both sex educations.
These positions taken by the states, Washington and statistics show that the issue is not being solved and in all probability, the linking of financial incentive to sex abstinence education has made the matters worse in the overall picture. The Statistics also show that issue of teenage pregnancies has turned into a new problem for the communities, the parents of the pregnant teenagers and the politicians themselves.
The three positions mentioned earlier reflect three philosophies: 1) Sex abstinence approach fails to recognize teenage sex as a reality and is therefore a flawed approach because the growing number of teenage pregnancies show that the issue is real. The right conservative America, supporting sex abstinence must recognize ground realities if it expects to manage and control the pregnancies because sex is part of kids life no matter the conservatives approve it or not. Resolving the issue not its ostracizing is the way forward.
2) Contraception approach is too liberal because by recognizing sex as a reality and extending solution in the form of contraception it is making the teenagers oblivious of the social, economic, and psychological complications of teenage behavior towards free sex. Nobody is ready to recognize the 3% failure rate of contraception under ideal compliance (hundred percent contraception is used). In case of 1 million teenage pregnancies, the authorities and the teenagers should be looking at three hundred thousand unwanted children. In other words ten thousand dollar annual support for each of these children. You do the math.
3) At the moment, the hope lies in the modal of 14 states that are imparting sex abstinence and contraception approach. In addition to getting funding, they are also helping raise awareness among the teenagers about benefits of sex abstinence and contraception from social, economic, psychological and physical (diseases) point of view. The rest of America should have a closer look at the modal to control the growing number of teenage pregnancies.
Presently, the pregnant teenagers are experiencing all sorts of psychological, economical and educational problems that in turn compromise American values, society and is adding to economic and social implications. The number of teenage girls falling out of school is immensely increasing, which affects the job statistics that show number of working women is very low. Without a job, a pregnant teen is left to care for her child and will also face social, economic and physical exploitations.
Under the current circumstances the republicans, democrats and civil society groups must remember that the pro-abstinence, anti-abortion positions or both will not solve the problem of growing number of teenage pregnancies. America needs a bipartisan comprehensive policy instead of populist policies pushing political interests.
Sex education in schools should form part of the policy to save millions of teenage pregnant girls from falling victim to economic, social and psychological challenges of the real world. The world in which there is no job for a teenage girl who is uneducated, single and mothering her off springs. This individual is not only unable to protect herself but also the future of America. It is therefore the responsibility of all concerned to stop fighting over the issue and start resolving it.
Finally, as a way forward, in addition to these three approaches, the teenagers should also be involved in alternate activities like sports, co-curricular activities including debates, spelling bees so that they learn to have comprehensive experiences. The government, states, churches, schools, civil society groups and even Hollywood need to come forward to help solve the challenge of teenage pregnancies.
The debate on teenage sex education is failing to find a direction in America as the statistics show record growing numbers of teenage pregnancies. According to the CNN, 17 states do not support sex education in schools, 14 states support both contraception and abstinence education and 19 support only sex abstinence education.
The 19 states supporting sex abstinence educations are supported by the federal funds, where as the 17 states not supporting sex education are deprived of funds and 14 states are supporting both sex educations.
These positions taken by the states, Washington and statistics show that the issue is not being solved and in all probability, the linking of financial incentive to sex abstinence education has made the matters worse in the overall picture. The Statistics also show that issue of teenage pregnancies has turned into a new problem for the communities, the parents of the pregnant teenagers and the politicians themselves.
The three positions mentioned earlier reflect three philosophies: 1) Sex abstinence approach fails to recognize teenage sex as a reality and is therefore a flawed approach because the growing number of teenage pregnancies show that the issue is real. The right conservative America, supporting sex abstinence must recognize ground realities if it expects to manage and control the pregnancies because sex is part of kids life no matter the conservatives approve it or not. Resolving the issue not its ostracizing is the way forward.
2) Contraception approach is too liberal because by recognizing sex as a reality and extending solution in the form of contraception it is making the teenagers oblivious of the social, economic, and psychological complications of teenage behavior towards free sex. Nobody is ready to recognize the 3% failure rate of contraception under ideal compliance (hundred percent contraception is used). In case of 1 million teenage pregnancies, the authorities and the teenagers should be looking at three hundred thousand unwanted children. In other words ten thousand dollar annual support for each of these children. You do the math.
3) At the moment, the hope lies in the modal of 14 states that are imparting sex abstinence and contraception approach. In addition to getting funding, they are also helping raise awareness among the teenagers about benefits of sex abstinence and contraception from social, economic, psychological and physical (diseases) point of view. The rest of America should have a closer look at the modal to control the growing number of teenage pregnancies.
Presently, the pregnant teenagers are experiencing all sorts of psychological, economical and educational problems that in turn compromise American values, society and is adding to economic and social implications. The number of teenage girls falling out of school is immensely increasing, which affects the job statistics that show number of working women is very low. Without a job, a pregnant teen is left to care for her child and will also face social, economic and physical exploitations.
Under the current circumstances the republicans, democrats and civil society groups must remember that the pro-abstinence, anti-abortion positions or both will not solve the problem of growing number of teenage pregnancies. America needs a bipartisan comprehensive policy instead of populist policies pushing political interests.
Sex education in schools should form part of the policy to save millions of teenage pregnant girls from falling victim to economic, social and psychological challenges of the real world. The world in which there is no job for a teenage girl who is uneducated, single and mothering her off springs. This individual is not only unable to protect herself but also the future of America. It is therefore the responsibility of all concerned to stop fighting over the issue and start resolving it.
Finally, as a way forward, in addition to these three approaches, the teenagers should also be involved in alternate activities like sports, co-curricular activities including debates, spelling bees so that they learn to have comprehensive experiences. The government, states, churches, schools, civil society groups and even Hollywood need to come forward to help solve the challenge of teenage pregnancies.