A Resolution Abolshing Abstinence-Only Sex Education

[David]

Note: While this Resolution was used in the 2007 National Congressional Qualifiers, I authored this Resolution on behalf of Hempfield Area Senior High School and presented the Authorship speech at the qualifier for this particular Resolution. (Included only in the event someone else here was at that tournament and thought that I might be plagiarizing it, for whatever reason.)

A Resolution Abolishing Abstinence-Only Education

1. Whereas teen pregnancy rates in the US is twice that of any other

2. industrialized nation in the world.

3. Whereas more than 1 million teen girls become pregnant each year.

4. Whereas abstinence-only education does not inform students of the risks of

5. unprotected sex.

6. Whereas students who receive non-abstinence-only education are less likely

7. to contract a sexually transmitted disease and become pregnant.

8. Whereas abstinence-only education does not teach students about the

9. benefits of condoms or other contraceptives.

10. Be it resolved by this Student Congress here assembled that all schools

11. shall discontinue all sex-education curriculums teaching abstinence-only

12. education immediately and implement a new sex education curriculum

13. teaching safe sex. Failure to comply shall result in interference by the

14. Department of Education.

Respecfully Submitted
Hempfield Area Senior High School
​

Yes, this topic is a little risque, but since sex education is now being given to students as young as 13 in many places, I felt that it was appropriate. Further, this is a serious issue, and this is Crossfire, isn't it, or did my mouse skip and land somewhere completely different? (I find the later unlikely.)

At any rate, I can't wait to debate with all of you. While traditional Student Congress does not provide for a "floor debate" (what you see during election season) and only for pointed questions, that would seriously hinder discussion here, so an open floor debate is actually encouraged.

I do ask that when attempting to evidence or disprove a statement above that you reference line numbers (they're from the original document and required for Congressional Bill and Resolution submissions).

Having Authored this Resolution, I'm obviously all for it. (Not always the case, I've Authored my fair share of Devil's advocate Bills and Resolutions. ) Of course I myself could think of many, many arguments in opposition to this, and just as many in favour of this, but the point is unplanned teen pregnancy is running rampant across the world, not to mention the HIV/AIDS epidemic, yes it's an epidemic, with millions infected each year.

There will obviously be those of you who will, as quickly as possible of course, muck out a response along the lines of not having sex to begin with is the only effective method to prevent pregnancy or contracting an STD. You would be right, however, we as parents, teachers, guardians, and role models can say "Don't have sex" until we're blue in the face, forgive the cliche, but the point is our teens are still having sex, and are continuing to do so. So wouldn't the better option be that we teach our teens and even pre-teens how to make an informed, well educated decision about sex.

Sex is a huge step in any teenage relationship, and sadly many of our nations youth are walking into it blind. Some abstinence-only curriculums teach that condoms are rarely effective, whereas in truth had they just used a condom hundreds of thousands of children could have avoided pregnancy. Our children do not have to be timebombs, just waiting to go off, and by "go off" I mean inevitible death. Sex without a condom is comparable to playing Russian Roulette, and our children, our future, should know this.

--David

 

[Steeevoe]

I'm from the UK btw. I was taught about this stuff in year five at primary school. I think I would of been almost ten ! This was about nine years ago. All the schools I progressed through had sex ed lessons twice. Two lessons in the three years at high school and two in at college in comulsory education (2years) and the two years of non comulsory.

It's not stopped teen pregnancy in my area, but I don't think it is as high as it is in some places that don't have as much.

 

[idfizbo]

One thing that is interesting is the fact that the rate of teenage sex is about the same between the US and Europe, but the US has staggeringly higher rates of teen pregnancies. What's to blame? The lack of access to contraceptives for minors, first and foremost, followed by the lack of proper sexual education indicating their importance.

 

[David]

There has been a long established taboo on talking about "it", "that", "the nasty" all these aliases have been created for sex. And still today we find this an uncomfortable conversation to breach, because of all these taboos that revolve the word.

Whereas, Europeans in general are more comfortable with the topic, and with themselves. It seems to be discussed more often in the European culture. Here in the US, we cringe and sue a school when they give our children contraceptives and teach them how to use them.

But yes, I realize that I am a heartless, soulless individual who shouldn't be able to sleep at night because God forbid we teach our children what they need to know to keep themselves safe when the inevitable time comes to actually have sex. And yes, it is inevitable, it's going to happen, either when they're 16 or 20 (or younger!), and an uneducated 16-year-old is just as likely to get pregnant or to impregnate someone or to even catch a life threatening Sexually Transmitted Disease as is a 20-year-old.

It's important that we realize that we are ALL vulnerable, and that we need to protect ourselves, and most importantly we need to protect our children. It's amazing how many lives can be saved by a simple piece of knowledge.

 

[Jarryd]

I am from Australia, I am actually not aware of the teen pregnancy rate in Australia, but I myself will admit i have a child at only 17 years of age, i will be 18 when she is born. I had noticed when going to the hospital with my girlfriend, now currently my ex (thats another story though) that there were more than just her and I in the hospital waiting for ultrasounds or to see a mid-wife. There were at least 10-20 girls all pregnant under the age of 18, i even overheard one parent saying to her daughter how upset she was and how she couldn't believe her 14 year old daughter was sitting in the hospital waiting for an ultrasound to see her baby.

The thing is that in Australia, well at least in the school i went to, we had sex education as a subject, from years 5, 6 and 7. Then in high school, Years 8, 9 and 10 we had sex education every Wednesday. From a soon to be fathers point of view, but still a teenager also, although I and my future children may be taught and informed about "safe sex" it doesn't necessarily mean that it will reduce the numbers. I do have to admit though, that if i hadn't been warned about all of the problems and 'bumps' if you wish to call them, the STD's (STI's depending on what you prefer), pregnancy etc... i probably would have been in trouble myself right now.

I would like to say that no matter whether promoting safe sex, or promoting no sex is the preferred method by other people, i will always be on the side that is all for well educated safe sex, i'd rather be well informed, then to be a 25 year old that goes to have sex for the first time and doesn't know how to put a condom on correctly because in school the only sex education they taught me was "safe sex is no sex".

Another issue that might be a little bit off-topic, but is partly related to the sex topic is that these days we also see a lot of younger girls being tricked into having sex with their boyfriends without protection, or similar issues like that. The most common i have heard is "If you don't have sex with me without a condom, i'll break up with you and tell everyone how much of a whore (sorry the nicest word i could use) you are." This kind of stuff is rubbish, it's pathetic manipulation and we have to start cracking down and teaching kids that no matter how much you love someone, being forced to do something like that is not worth taking the risk.


Sorry for the long post, i hope i didn't talk to much rubbish, just some of my opinions.