Public opinion on the most effective means of sex education has been split for years and, in fact, sex ed as we know it today originated from an explosion in teen pregnancy rates in the 1960s and ’70s, followed swiftly by the AIDS crisis. At the time, as a response to what was seen as… Read more »
Today I’m sitting in the exhibit hall of the Healthy Teen Network conference, contemplating all of these amazing people – both my co-exhibiters and the attendees. Here are some of the people I’ve met: Connected Health Solutions Healthy Futures of Texas Michigan Adolescent Health Initiative Teen Empower And this is what I love most about… Read more »
When talking about abstinence with my classes, it’s important to me that they hear people choose to abstain from sexual activity for lots of reasons and for varying amounts of time – not just because they aren’t, and until they are, married. Some people choose to abstain for a week because they have flu, for… Read more »
That slippery, slippery slope that leads from the lesser to the greater evils. It’s the good intentions, I am sure, that make it so slippery in the first place. Here to dispel that myth! _____________________________________________________________________ IS THE SLOPE THAT SLIPPERY? Objectives: Participants will: 1. Identify behaviors that may be congruent (or incongruent) with their personal… Read more »
There are emerging conversations about consent – and even budding conversations about enthusiastic, or affirmative, consent! – brewing in the public discourse in the US. California now requires that colleges that receive state funds define consent in these terms – such an exciting move! Why is it that the state doesn’t just make that the… Read more »
Basically I love the name of this lesson, which is why I’m writing about it today. They say that you shouldn’t choose a book by its cover…and I suppose that the sentiment should be continued to include not choosing a lesson plan by its title, but I already threw that out the window a few… Read more »
I live in Texas – one of the United States’ deep, smelly armpits of sexuality education. While we do seem to be improving, our curriculum is nothing like that of our fellow countrymen in Oregon or New York. All of which is to say: sexuality education around here can be something of a farce. A… Read more »
Graphic: Guttmacher Institute New Mexico: For six years, the New Mexico Department of Health has rejected federal funding for abstinence-based sexuality education, saying it’s ineffective and biased. However, the DOH, in partnership with New Mexico State University, has recently accepted a nice sum of money to support an abstinence-based sexuality curriculum called Sex Can Wait. The curriculum will be offered as… Read more »
Two students attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are encouraging conversations on their campus for sexual education and advocacy through their reinstatement of two student groups: Students for Choice, and Students Advocating Gender Equity (SAGE). Meredith Cain and Audrey Nance returned to campus feeling inspired after attending the Youth Organizing and Policy Conference in Washington, DC in July,… Read more »
Great news! Effective January 1, 2014, all Illinois schools that choose to teach sexuality education will have to teach comprehensive sex education to their students, thanks to Democratic Governor Pat Quinn who is expected to sign House Bill 2675 into law in the coming weeks. This bill essentially bans abstinence-only curriculum from the classroom. Illinois is ranked 27th in the… Read more »
In the United States Bridgeton, NJ: Inspira Health Network‘s Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, “At Promise, Not At Risk,” just received $5 million from the United States federal government to continue its programming. The program, now in its third year, combines life skills with abstinence-based sexuality education for 120 6th graders across two school systems. The… Read more »
I am a firm believer the knowledge is power. Rachael Carlevale Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains www.pprm.org I am a firm believer that knowledge is power. Teaching comprehensive, medically accurate, age appropriate sex education: healthy relationships, contraception, pregnancy options- that knowledge is LIFE SAVING power. I feel as a sex education instructor, I am enabling students to make… Read more »
This article was originally published by American Social Health Association‘s HPV News, and has appeared on the website of The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health. To register for a free email subscription to ASHA’s HPV News, visit them online. and is adapted and reprinted with permission. Not Just for High School Anymore: Sex Ed Across the Lifespan Interview with Bill… Read more »
By Robin Slaw In the February 22, 2011 “Blame It On the Alcohol” episode, Glee fans got a big dose of how well teen abstinence pledges work … Not! Instead, Glee club members explored the perils of teen drinking. From Principal Figgins’ pronunciation of Kei$ha (Kee-dollar sign-Ha) to the duet by Schuester and Beiste to… Read more »
By Bill TavernerOne in 10 “abstinent” teens has a sexually transmitted infection. Yes, one in 10 teens that says he or she is abstinent has a sexually transmitted infection. This statistical anomaly comes from a news story reported in the Washington Times. It sounds strange, but it really shouldn’t be surprising to know that teens… Read more »
