Comprehensive Sexual Education
Comprehensive family life and sex education:
- respects community values and encourages family communication
- develops communication, decision making and conflict resolution skills
- contributes to healthy relationships
- provides age-appropriate, medically accurate human development and sexuality education
- includes an abstinence-first approach to delaying sexual activity
- promotes individual responsibility
Opponents argue that teaching teens about protection and contraception increases sexual activity. This is not true. Comprehensive sex education programs that discuss both abstinence and contraception do not increase sexual activity among teens. Rather, such programs often delay first intercourse, reduce the frequency of sex and reduce the number of sexual partners.
In fact, the decline of teen pregnancy rates has been attributed not only to an increase in abstinence among adolescents, but also to an increase in contraceptive use.
Planned Parenthood has tried to pass a measure in Minnesota that would give all Minnesota youth the knowledge to protect themselves from unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Because nine out of 10 Minnesotan's support comprehensive sexuality education, both the Minnesota State House and Senate approved Planned Parenthood legislation. Unfortunately, Governor Pawlenty refused to support the Comprehensive Sexuality Education component of the Education Bill so the bill was not passed.
Tell Governor Pawlenty to support Comprehensive Sex Education.
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