Sex education made easy

To counter the evangelical Christian right (ECR), mainstream America needs strategies that:

• Target realistic, practical goals based on reason rather than faith, and
• Demonstrate to sub-cultures the benefits of an inclusive society.

For example, public school sex education classes usually teach abstinence as the best way to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease, while also telling students about birth control. Teaching abstinence with birth control is not a mixed message; it is based on reason and practical experience. The goal of sex education is giving young people full information about sexual relations, so they can choose appropriate behaviors and understand the consequences of their actions. Fundamentalist Christians think only abstinence should be taught, presumably to preserve innocence and delay responsibility of youth deemed unable to control their behavior because of immaturity. Biblical references that support abstinence until marriage may be cited as the basis of their beliefs. Clearly, the opposing viewpoints of mainstream America and evangelical Christians are not reconcilable. The latter is committed to achieving its vision of god's plan and is unlikely to cede its position, thus insuring that schools either endure ongoing controversy or capitulate to bad policies.

Several strategies have been tried to deal with the sex education controversy. Studies have determined that abstinence only programs result in higher teen pregnancy and STD rates among those receiving abstinence only sex education, and this information has been widely disseminated, to no avail. Schools have permitted students to opt out of sex education classes during presentations on birth control, however self-exclusion is alienating and fails to achieve the educational objective for all students. Birth control information has been kept in sex education classes over objections of ECR parents, encouraging them to become single-issue school board candidates who, if elected, are ill-suited for a policy-making role in school governance. Other strategies that are variations of the foregoing attempts to deal with the controversy have also undoubtedly been attempted without resolving the issue.

A sex-education strategy based on reason would teach youth that self-control is beneficial, that knowledge - rather than innocence - is a defense against temptation, and that a responsible youth is a better adult. The strategy would combine character building with sex education. Sexual self-control, life-skills knowledge, and moral maturation are traits that enhance the ability of members of a sub-culture to function in a diverse, inclusive society. Training in methods of self-control, using knowledge in decision-making, and taking responsibility for one's actions should preface sex education topics like abstinence, birth control methods or sexual awareness. Surely, curriculum specialists could garner sufficient course content to prepare sex education teachers to present character-building information as a prelude to sex education.

The counter to the ECR's objection to information about birth control information is that students are taught the virtue of self-control by resolve over refusal, knowledge over innocence and responsibility over capriciousness. Remember that the Christian Right's policy positions are biblical and not reasonable. Therefore, no change will occur in their mind-set. However, members of mainstream American culture will understand that sex education is better when it is based on reason rather than scripture, and they will support fully informing students.