In Brief
Facts on Sex Education
In the United States
SEX AND PREGNANCY AMONG TEENS levels among their Canadian, English, received instruction about contraception
• By their 18th birthday, six in 10 French and Swedish peers, they are likely before the first time they had sex.
teenage women and more than five in 10 to have shorter and more sporadic sexual
• One-quarter of sexually experienced
teenage men have had sexual intercourse. relationships and are less likely to use
teens had not received instruction about
contraceptives.
• Between 1995 and 2002, the number abstinence before first sex.
of teens aged 15–17 who had ever SEX EDUCATION: TEENS’ PERSPECTIVES
engaged in sexual intercourse declined SEX EDUCATION:
• By 2002, one-third of teens had not TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES
10%. received any formal instruction about
• Sex education teachers were more likely
• Of the approximately 750,000 teen contraception.
to focus on abstinence and less likely to
pregnancies that occur each year, 82% • More than one in five adolescents provide students with information on
are unintended. More than one-quarter (21% of females and 24% of males) birth control, how to obtain contracep-
end in abortion. received abstinence education without tive services, sexual orientation and
• The pregnancy rate among U.S. women receiving instruction about birth control abortion in 1999 than they were in 1988.
aged 15–19 has declined steadily—from in 2002, compared with 8–9% in 1995.
• In 1999, one in four sex education
117 pregnancies per 1,000 women in teachers taught abstinence as the only
• In 2002, only 62% of sexually experi-
1990 to 75 per 1,000 women in 2002. way to prevent pregnancy and STIs—
enced female teens had received instruc-
• Approximately 14% of the decline in tion about contraception before they first a huge increase from 1988, when the
teen pregnancy between 1995 and 2002 had sex, compared with 72% in 1995. fraction was just one in 50.
was due to teens’ delaying sex or having
• Only one out of three sexually experi- • The majority of teachers believe that
sex less often, while 86% was due to an
enced black males and fewer than half of topics such as birth control methods and
increase in sexually experienced teens’
sexually experienced black females had how to obtain them, the correct way to
contraceptive use.
• Despite the decline, the United States
Shifts in Formal Sex Education
continues to have one of the highest
The proportion of teens receiving any information about birth control has declined, while
teen pregnancy rates in the developed the proportion receiving information only about abstinence has increased.
world—almost twice as high as those
% of teens aged 15–19
of England, Wales and Canada, and
100
eight times as high as those of the
Netherlands and Japan. 80
• Every year, roughly nine million new 60
sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
40
occur among teens and young adults in
the United States. Compared with rates 20
among teens in Canada and Western
0
Europe, rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia
among U.S. teens are extremely high. Girls Boys Girls Boys
Birth control information Only abstinence information
• Though teens in the United States
1995 2002
have levels of sexual activity similar to
use a condom, sexual orienta- STIs, but their laws tend to be compared with one in five of research shows that
tion, and factual and ethical very general. Policies specify- such districts in the Northeast. abstinence-only strategies
information about abortion ing the content of sex educa- may deter contraceptive use
should also be taught by the tion are typically set at the
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT among sexually active teens,
OF ABSTINENCE-ONLY
end of the 12th grade. These local level. EDUCATION increasing their risk of unin-
topics are currently being • There are three federal tended pregnancy and STIs.
taught less often and later than • More than two out of three
programs dedicated to funding • Evidence shows that compre-
teachers think they should be. public school districts have a
restrictive abstinence-only hensive sex education programs
policy to teach sex education.
• More than nine in 10 education: Section 510 of the that provide information about
The remaining one-third of
teachers believe that students Social Security Act, the both abstinence and contracep-
districts leave policy decisions
should be taught about Adolescent Family Life Act’s tion can help delay the onset
up to individual schools or
contraception, but one in four teen pregnancy prevention of sexual activity among teens,
teachers.
are prohibited from doing so. component and Community- reduce their number of sexual
• Eighty-six percent of the Based Abstinence Education partners and increase contra-
• One in five teachers believe public school districts that (CBAE). The total funding for ceptive use when they become
that restrictions on sex have a policy to teach sex these programs is $176 million sexually active. These findings
education are preventing them education require that absti- for FY 2006. were underscored in “Call to
from meeting their students’ nence be promoted. Some 35%
• Federal law establishes a Action to Promote Sexual
needs. require abstinence to be
stringent eight-point definition Health and Responsible Sexual
taught as the only option for Behavior,” issued by former
• Eighty-two percent of adults of “abstinence-only education”
unmarried people and either Surgeon General David Satcher
support comprehensive sex that requires programs to teach
education that teaches students prohibit the discussion of in June 2001.
that sexual activity outside
about both abstinence and contraception altogether or
of marriage is wrong and
other methods of preventing limit discussion to its ineffec-
harmful—for people of any
pregnancy and STIs. tiveness. The other 51% have a
age. The law also prohibits
policy to teach abstinence as
programs from advocating
• Only one-third of adults the preferred option for teens
contraceptive use or discussing
surveyed support abstinence- and permit discussion of
contraceptive methods except
only education, while half contraception as an effective
to emphasize their failure
oppose the abstinence-only means of preventing pregnancy
rates.
approach. and STIs.
• Federal guidelines now define
SEX EDUCATION POLICY • More than half of the
sexual activity to include any
• Currently, 35 states mandate districts in the South with a
behavior between two people
either sex education or educa- policy to teach sex education
that may be sexually stimulat-
tion about HIV/AIDS and other have an abstinence-only policy,
ing, which could be interpreted
as including even kissing or
Teaching Gap hand-holding.
There is a large gap between what teachers believe should be covered
and what they actually teach on some topics in sex education. • Federal restrictions have been Advancing sexual and
expanded to target adolescents reproductive health worldwide
% of sex education teachers through research, policy
and young adults between the analysis and public education
100
ages of 12 and 29.
New York
80 • There is currently no federal 120 Wall Street
program dedicated to support- New York, NY 10005
Tel: 212.248.1111
60 ing comprehensive sex educa- info@[Link]
tion that teaches young people
40 about both abstinence and Washington DC
contraception. 1301 Connecticut Ave, NW Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
20
• Despite years of evaluation in Tel: 202.296.4012,
policyinfo@[Link]
0 this area, there is no evidence
to date that abstinence-only [Link]
HIV STDs Abstinence Birth Facts on Condom Sexual Additional copies may be purchased
control abortion use orientation
education delays teen sexual
for $0.25 each.
activity. Moreover, recent
Believe should be covered Actually teach Volume discounts are available.
December/2006
