The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a recent report showing more than two-thirds of Georgia schools fail to teach all of the recommended sexual education topics.
Even relative to Southern states, education about condom use was particularly low in Georgia, according to the CDC. Perhaps this is no real surprise, given the CDC announced last month that Georgia ranks third in the nation for syphilis and ninth for Chlamydia. Georgia also ranks fourth for HIV diagnoses and 13th for teen pregnancies.
Georgia law mandates that sexual and HIV education emphasize abstinence until marriage, but it does not preclude providing students with comprehensive knowledge and skills for avoiding sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy. Despite a consistent need for sexual education across the state, what students in Georgia get is anything but.
For example, DeKalb County schools use an age-appropriate, comprehensive sexual education curriculum designed to support students to make healthy decisions: Abstain from sex, use protection when they do have sex, seek health care when they need it, communicate effectively with their families, and respect others’ decisions not to have sex. The curriculum adheres to the Characteristics of Effective Sex Education Programs and is aligned with the National Health Education Standards for Sexual Health and the National Sexuality Education Standards.
In contrast, roughly half of Georgia school systems use the controversial “Choosing the Best” sex education curriculum that teaches students the risks of condom use rather than the importance of using condoms consistently and correctly. Bartow County uses “Choosing the Best” and bans providing students with information about where they can acquire condoms and family planning counseling and services.
Major professional organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Public Health Association, support abstinence but also emphasize young people need accurate and comprehensive sex education to prepare them for responsible decision-making. The majority of parents support such sex ed in schools.
A focus on health can serve as a unifying goal amid the politics and polarization that often surround public discussion of sexual education. Positive and respectful relationships, prevention and wellness are goals everyone can agree on.
Abstinence is a healthy choice for young people that should be emphasized and supported. However, no one advocates lifelong abstinence, and abstinence intentions among young people often fail and change. Students need information and skills to prepare them for a lifetime of health.
Data show abstinence-only curricula do not delay sexual debut or reduce sexually risky behavior. Studies show abstinence-only education may deter sexually active adolescents from using contraceptives, increasing their risk of STIs and unintended pregnancy.
In contrast, comprehensive sexual education curricula delay the age of first sex and decrease risky behavior. Moreover, teen pregnancies are 50 percent less likely among students who receive such comprehensive education compared to students who receive abstinence-only education.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth are at disproportionate risk for HIV and other STIs and experience high rates of harassment, dating violence and sexual violence. These students would particularly benefit from inclusive, comprehensive sex ed that supports their health and development.
Failing to provide comprehensive sex education threatens students’ health by withholding potentially life-saving information. As state statistics attest, teaching abstinence until marriage is not sufficient. Georgia should adopt a sexual health approach that supports abstinence but prepares students to protect their health when they do become sexually active.
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