Sexual Health Education

Don’t worry, I won’t be reenacting the “talk” that some people have experienced, but people often lack knowledge on sexual health. To paraphrase from the World Health Organization, sexual health is defined as sexual well-being with regard to oneself, one’s relationships, and the society one belongs to. Thus, sexual health encompasses not only safe sexual activity, but it also includes one’s gender, sexuality, relationships, and interactions with societal institutions. Sexual health addresses sexually transmitted infections (STIs), pregnancy, and other gaps in knowledge related to reproduction.

In a survey published in the International Society for Sexual Medicine, a thousand medical students scored an average of 66% on a sex health knowledge survey. Physicians receive their degree and can practice because they have extensive knowledge about human health. Sex is inevitably a part of human health, so doctors must be properly educated on sex health and sex anatomy. It’s safe to say that physicians should have this knowledge.

But what about teenagers? Talking about sexual health can be uncomfortable for some, especially when introducing it to youth. Parents might be concerned that their children are learning too many details or may disagree with what a school provides in their curriculum. For our discussion, let’s consider two broad categories of sexual health education: abstinence-only programs and comprehensive sex education.

To address concerns that teenagers would be learning information that would promote sex, some schools only teach abstinence. In other words, schools teach students to resist the urge to have sex until marriage because it’s the right thing to do. Often, religious ideals that promote heterosexuality and sexual purity influence abstinence education.

For now, let’s put aside some of its other issues and focus on one key point: does abstinence education actually prevent sexual relations until marriage?

In essence, studies on the effectiveness of abstinence-only programs have shown that they do not prevent sex. They do not affect the average age at which a teenager would have a sexual encounter, nor do they give reliable information about contraception. One study has even concluded that abstinence-only programs can cause higher rates of sex before marriage.

Researchers theorize that the reason why seems to come from the approach: abstinence-only programs strongly emphasize a moral reason for why teenagers should not have sex before marriage. Remember that the definition of sexual health is sexual well-being in a variety of areas: relationships, sexuality, gender, etc. Sexual health programs need to provide “complete information, open and honest conversations, and support for decision-making about sex and relationships.” So, sexual health education should introduce other consequences to having unsafe sex at an earlier age: teen pregnancy, unhealthy relationships, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), etc.

Wait, but wouldn’t providing knowledge to teenagers about how to have safe sex (sex with contraceptives) make them more likely to have sex at an earlier age? Actually, research points to the exact opposite conclusion. Teenagers delay having sex after undergoing comprehensive sex education that provides info about contraceptives, offers counseling, and gives resources to those in need.

To some, sex is considered an act that is inherently immoral unless performed after marriage. Indeed, it is up to the person having sex to reconcile with their own moral beliefs, but I am arguing that it is important for people to have a proper education that gives them concrete truths about sexual health. People should be aware of methods of staying safe while having sex, which includes contraception, and should have access to sexual health resources. It is up to the individual’s free will when it comes to whether or not to actually use them.

Thus, we need to shift away from abstinence-only programs. This proposal does not mean that educators can no longer discuss abstinence, but other topics must also be allowed for discussion. For instance, many comprehensive sex education programs still discuss abstinence but also include information about contraception. Studies have found that 50% of these programs have reported a decrease in risk of teen pregnancy while 40% have reported a delay in teens’ first sexual encounter. Additionally, comprehensive sex education programs (as described by the CDC) should ideally discuss the LGBTQ+ community, gender identities, abortion, and the benefits of safe sex, and we’ll save the more controversial topics for later discussion.

Is it not more honest (and more effective) to provide all the knowledge that one would need related to their own health? In other words, is it not morally right to give people a full picture of sexual health and let them decide for themselves what to do?