Abstain, Child!
The problems with abstinence-only sex education - which the government funds - are numerous, but at the core there’s really just one major flaw: you’re trying to teach it to humans. Horny teenage humans, at that.
You can teach people a lot of things, but trying to scare, guilt or otherwise persuade them to not have sex with each other is simply impossible. How do I know? I exist, along with with everyone else. Sex always wins.
I don’t understand what’s so difficult or embarrassing (or dangerous) about teaching the truth? That sex is fantastic, but brings with it some consequences and, if you choose to have sex, you need to prepare to accept those consequences or protect yourself. Is that so damaging to our moral fiber? The truth? They taught us the straight facts at my middle school and who knows how many pregnancies or STDs were adverted because of it.
I say this now because I read an article last week which stated that more than half the states have withdrawn from the federal Abstinence-Only sex education initiative, turning a cold shoulder on over $50 million from the federal government. For the first time in I don’t know how long, I thought, “Wow, the people in charge are doing something logical and not letting pressure from the religious right get in the way.” Teaching that abstaining from sex is the best way to stay safe is like teaching that eating nothing at all is the best way to lose weight: true, of course, but dangerously unrealistic.