Sex-Ed: Does it Reduce STIs and Pregnancy?
Sex-ed: Does it Reduce STIs and Teen Pregnancy?
Our Sex Ed petition has almost crossed 26,000 signatures protesting Kathleen Wynne's sex ed plans for the children of Ontario!
We need your help, right now, with:
A) promoting a new petition asking for real public consultation with the whole people of Ontario
B) making a holiday donation to help us continue fighting the government to be transparent with its plans for our children
Proponents of comprehensive sex-ed programs usually justify them by saying that teaching children how to have "safe sex" will reduce sexually transmitted infections and teen pregnancies. But, do they?
Evidence from the recent sex-ed experiment in New Brunswick should give us pause. After the introduction of a comprehensive sex education curriculum in New Brunswick in the mid-2000s, pregnancy rates increased by almost 40% in the period 2006-2010, according to a new study from the Institute for Marriage and Family Canada.
Sex-Ed Doesn't Reduce Risky Teen Sexual Behavior
Research on the impact of a similar "progressive" type of sex-ed curriculum in the UK examining sexual behavior among university students found that despite being taught the risks of sexually transmitted diseases, many students continued to take part in risky sex. The authors of the study concluded that:
"Adolescents with more sexual knowledge do not necessarily have safer sex behaviour."
[Lou, J.H. and S.H. Chen, "Relationships among sexual knowledge, sexual attitudes, and safe sex behaviour among adolescents: A structural equation model," International Journal of Nursing Studies 46 (2009) p. 1600]
A key to understanding why may be found in the nature of adolescent brain development. Psychologist Laurence Steinburg suggests that teens rely heavily on emotional and social influences when making decisions. He suggests, "the developments of early adolescence may well create a situation in which one is starting an engine without yet having a skilled driver behind the wheel." ["Cognitive and Affective Development in Adolescence," Trends in Cognitive Sciences Vol. 19, No. 2 (February, 2005) p. 69]
Developmental psychologist, Gordon Neufeld, has stated that the emotional costs of such risky behavior are high. He argues from years of clinical work with adolescents who frequently have sex with multiple partners that sex loses its potency for bonding.
"The long-term effect is soul-numbing, impairing young people's capacity to enter into relationships in which true contact and intimacy are possible."
[Gordon Neufeld and G. Maté, Hold on to Your Kids (Toronto, 2005) p. 162]
Parental Influence Reduces Risk
What has been shown to reduce the numbers of teens who engage in risky sexual behavior is the development of a close parent child bond. [E.R. DeVore and K.R. Ginsburg, "The protective effects of good parenting on adolescents," Current Opinion in Pediatrics 17 (2005) pp. 460-465]
If parental influence is so key to the development of healthy adolescent sexual behavior then, as the IMFC study maintains, a successful sex-ed curriculum needs to support the parental-child relationship.
This is why we have put up a new petition demanding that the Ministry of Education consult all Ontario parents in a meaningful fashion before making any changes to Ontario's sex-ed program.
Then please do two things:
1) Put the new petition link on your blogs, facebook, twitter and other social media accounts:
2) Please also consider making a DONATION to help us with our work.
Even though Christmas is fast approaching, we have much work to do reaching out to parents to let them know about why they should be concerned about the negative effects comprehensive sex education has on teens.
If you appreciate our advocacy, will you consider putting aside a holiday gift for PAFE?
We would appreciate any gift you could make to help us write, call and meet with the media and politicians on behalf of the children of Ontario. Please visit our website to donate by mail or online or with a monthly direct deposit.
Together, we can make a difference!
Teresa Pierre, PhD, President
Parents as First Educators (PAFE)
