Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Trump Orders Abstinence-Only Sex Ed in Midst of Stormy Battle
Inside-Sources
By InsideSources.com
Published 7 years ago on
May 11, 2018

Share

Last month, while President Trump and his legal team battled an adult film star in court to prevent her from sharing details about their alleged affair, the Trump administration quietly overhauled the federal government’s approach to teen pregnancy to focus entirely on abstinence-only programs.
Previously restricted to locally driven, evidence-based practices — including education on contraception, dating violence and the value of healthy relationships — the Obama administration’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program likely contributed to a substantial decrease in teen pregnancy rates from 2007 to 2016, with a record decrease of 9 percent in 2016.

Portrait of Sarah Shapiro, a research assistant at the Center for American Progress.
Opinion
Sarah Shapiro
So while the American public is demanding heightened accountability for cases of sexual assault, the federal government is reducing access to critical intervention tools, such as comprehensive sex education.
The Department of Health and Human Services recently claimed that “the TPP program is not working,” but TPP programs are publicly evaluated to determine whether and how they are effective at reducing teen pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections or sexual risk behaviors.

Abstinence-Only Sex Ed Doesn’t Work

Under the Trump administration’s abstinence-only approach that ignores evidence-based interventions, it’s difficult to overstate the extent to which our elected leaders have publicly undermined gender equality and definitions of consent. But, more important, what can be done to break from this regressive narrative and get back to programs proven to work for students?

While sex education programs remain sparse in public schools, many of today’s students turn to porn or other forms of media as their primary source for information, which provides a limited, and often inaccurate portrayal of consensual relationships.
When I think back on my own experience, in a New Jersey public school, I shudder to think about the fear-based instruction I received. In middle school, we watched a film showing a woman giving birth, followed by in-depth slideshows and visuals of STDs. I remember exchanging glances with my classmates, who were equally scared by the terrifying images projected on the screen. If there was any talk about pleasure, fun, intimacy, healthy relationships, boundaries, communicating and exploring what you want and like, I don’t recall.
Years later, the situation hasn’t improved. Some states require no sex education at all, while others provide little accountability for what should be taught. According to a National Institute for Health study, only about half of adolescents received formal instruction about contraception before they first had sex.

Should Students Get Sex Ed From Porn?

While sex education programs remain sparse in public schools, many of today’s students turn to porn or other forms of media as their primary source for information, which provides a limited, and often inaccurate portrayal of consensual relationships.
A new report from the Center for American Progress shows that sex education drastically varies by state, and only 10 states and the District of Columbia require any mention of “healthy relationships,” “sexual assault” or “consent” in their standards.
In the last few years, these states have passed laws or written explicit state standards to ensure that all health or sex education courses teach students about sexual development, identifying relationship conflicts, and communicating effectively with their partners. California’s Healthy Youth Act, for example, requires all school districts to teach adolescent growth and development, body image, gender, sexual orientation, and the development of safe and healthy relationships. Oregon revised its state standards to require sex education to address sexual identity and how to respond to dating violence.

Some States Provide Inaccurate Sex Ed

Yet, the states that aren’t teaching comprehensive sex education are often providing students with limited or downright inaccurate information. Only 20 states require that sex and/or HIV education be medically, factually or technically accurate, and many state standards are vastly outdated.
New York, Louisiana, Nebraska and Massachusetts, for example, have not updated their sex education laws since the 1990s. Idaho’s sex education law has not been rewritten since 1970 and uses religion as an argument for abstinence-only education.
In fact, only two states restrict sex education programs from using religious context in its instruction, and some explicitly ban the “promotion of homosexuality” in classroom instruction. In addition, more than half of the states that require sex education provide scant guidance on curriculum, do not address the development of healthy relationships, and do not separate sex education standards by age.
Updating sex education standards has clearly not been an education reform priority, but students are leaving school, and beginning their adult lives, without the information they need to navigate the challenges and responsibilities of adulthood in this new environment.
Educators have a unique opportunity to help students explore relationships in a positive way, and a big part of that should be teaching them about healthy communication within intimate relationships and consent. Uniform, modern state laws and standards, in addition to federal funding for comprehensive sex education, can ensure that sex education is accurate and accepting, instead of fear-based and restrictive, because relationships are better when both parties are excited to be a part of it.
About the Author
Sarah Shapiro is a research assistant at the Center for American Progress.
 

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

‘King of the Hill’ Voice Actor Jonathan Joss Fatally Shot Outside His Texas Home

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Crews Battle Active Wildfire in Yokuts Valley, Evacuation Warning Issued

DON'T MISS

Not Quite ‘Hunger Games,’ but Fresno Budget Hearings Start

DON'T MISS

Clovis CPA Sentenced to Prison for $800K Bank Fraud Scheme

DON'T MISS

His Gang Name Is ‘Goer.’ Now Fresno County Man Is Going to Prison for 20 Years

DON'T MISS

Missing Woman Found Dead in Fresno County Canal Identified

DON'T MISS

Co-Conspirator Sentenced in Fraud Involving Loans to Bitwise

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Stephanie Marie Zamarripa

DON'T MISS

Why Trump Is Mad at ‘Sleazebag’ Leonard Leo

DON'T MISS

Trump Amplifies Outlandish Robot Biden Conspiracy Theory

UP NEXT

Fresno County Crews Battle Active Wildfire in Yokuts Valley, Evacuation Warning Issued

UP NEXT

Not Quite ‘Hunger Games,’ but Fresno Budget Hearings Start

UP NEXT

Clovis CPA Sentenced to Prison for $800K Bank Fraud Scheme

UP NEXT

His Gang Name Is ‘Goer.’ Now Fresno County Man Is Going to Prison for 20 Years

UP NEXT

Missing Woman Found Dead in Fresno County Canal Identified

UP NEXT

Co-Conspirator Sentenced in Fraud Involving Loans to Bitwise

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Stephanie Marie Zamarripa

UP NEXT

Why Trump Is Mad at ‘Sleazebag’ Leonard Leo

UP NEXT

Trump Amplifies Outlandish Robot Biden Conspiracy Theory

UP NEXT

Madera County Authorities Seek Public’s Help Locating Missing At-Risk Man

Clovis CPA Sentenced to Prison for $800K Bank Fraud Scheme

9 hours ago

His Gang Name Is ‘Goer.’ Now Fresno County Man Is Going to Prison for 20 Years

9 hours ago

Missing Woman Found Dead in Fresno County Canal Identified

9 hours ago

Co-Conspirator Sentenced in Fraud Involving Loans to Bitwise

9 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Stephanie Marie Zamarripa

9 hours ago

Why Trump Is Mad at ‘Sleazebag’ Leonard Leo

10 hours ago

Trump Amplifies Outlandish Robot Biden Conspiracy Theory

10 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Seek Public’s Help Locating Missing At-Risk Man

11 hours ago

Mattel Is Combining Film and Television Units to Create Mattel Studios

11 hours ago

Campbell’s Co. Says Sales Rise as More Americans Cook at Home

11 hours ago

‘King of the Hill’ Voice Actor Jonathan Joss Fatally Shot Outside His Texas Home

HOUSTON — Jonathan Joss, a voice actor best known for his work on the animated television series “King of the Hill,” was fatally shot near h...

8 hours ago

Photo of caution tape
8 hours ago

‘King of the Hill’ Voice Actor Jonathan Joss Fatally Shot Outside His Texas Home

Fresno County fire crews are battling a wildland blaze in Yokuts Valley near Rector Lane, where the RECTOR incident has burned 10 acres with the potential to spread to 100 on Monday, June 2, 2025. (CalFire)
8 hours ago

Fresno County Crews Battle Active Wildfire in Yokuts Valley, Evacuation Warning Issued

8 hours ago

Not Quite ‘Hunger Games,’ but Fresno Budget Hearings Start

Photo of a laptop with a Department of Justice logo on the screens
9 hours ago

Clovis CPA Sentenced to Prison for $800K Bank Fraud Scheme

9 hours ago

His Gang Name Is ‘Goer.’ Now Fresno County Man Is Going to Prison for 20 Years

9 hours ago

Missing Woman Found Dead in Fresno County Canal Identified

9 hours ago

Co-Conspirator Sentenced in Fraud Involving Loans to Bitwise

Stephanie Marie Zamarripa is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for June 2, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
9 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Stephanie Marie Zamarripa

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend