< Back to front page Text size – +

Pro-abstinence sex education: Do you agree?

Print | Comments () Posted by Kristi Palma June 25, 2012 09:13 AM

Tweet
E-mail

Tennessee has enacted a pro-abstinence sex education law that is among the strictest in the nation, according to this Associated Press report. It means educators cannot promote "gateway sexual activity.’’ The bill is called the "no holding-hands bill" and it was drafted after a father complained when an anti-AIDS group visited his 17-year-old daughter’s class and demonstrated safe oral sex with a sex toy and a condom.

There’s been a shift by states over the past two years to promote abstinence-only education, Elizabeth Nash, state issues manager for the New York-based Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research organization, told the Associated Press.
According to the story, those for the bill say banning too-explicit sex education will aid in lowering the teen pregnancy rate. Those against the bill say a comprehensive sex education helps teenagers make more responsible decisions when it comes to sex and it is the type of sex education students want and parents expect.

What type of sex education do you prefer for your child? Pro-abstinence or a more comprehensive education that includes discussions about contraception and various types of sexual activity?

Tweet
E-mail

About Parent Buzz

Welcome to Parent Buzz, where you can read about and discuss the hot parenting issues of the day, find family-friendly events in Boston and beyond, and get parenting tidbits and tips.

Browse this blog

by category

Contributors

Kristi Palma, Boston.com Moms producer, is the mom of a kindergartner and a preschooler. She is a writer who enjoys cooking her grandmother's Italian recipes (when her son isn't launching paper airplanes into them). Follow her on Twitter @kristipalma.

Jennifer Clark Estes is a teacher, writer, blogger, and the mother of four young children. In her free time, she blogs at A Mom's World, plays with the kids (or chauffeurs them around), and is desperately seeking a quiet spot so she can read a book. Follow her on Twitter @JenniferCEstes.