The direction of sex education: abstinence or contraception Washington Li-Ming Yang
Youth Online - China Youth Daily 2010-01-28
United States 20 years of age the rate of teenage pregnancy, ending a 15-year trend of decreasing in 2006, the first rebound. This is the 26th of this month the U.S. Institute of Jiamaiqieer just released results of a survey. Jiamaiqieer Institute is a focus on sexual and health of American society well-known research institute. According to the Institute has just released a report in 2006 the United States 15 to 19-year-old teenage pregnancy rate than in 2005 rose by 3%. According to the Institute survey a large number of samples to the latest statistics, in 2006, the average U.S. per thousand aged 15 to 19 year-old girl, the pregnancy has reached 71.5, pregnancy rate as high as 7%. In 2005, the figure was 69.5.
At the same time, underage girls also increased the proportion of abortions. According to the Institute's statistics, in 2006, the United States under the age of 20 underage girls, there are 19.3 per thousand people had an abortion, compared with the previous year this figure increased by 1%. In addition, the United States, the proportion of teenage pregnancy is higher than other Western countries, is also a worrying phenomenon.
Minor mother has now become a serious problem in American society. Although the media hype, former U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate Palin's 19-year-old daughter, happily raising his son's story, but underage girls mothers are faced with the grim reality remains difficult to ignore.
United States each year underage girls pregnant about 75 million people, of which three-quarters of unwanted pregnancies. Choose gave birth to the child's mother, underage girls, 80% will be plagued by poverty, most people had to rely on welfare living. Therefore, the proportion of teenage pregnancy go up again this phenomenon, immediately aroused widespread concern in American society.
Many experts have begun to find the crux of the problem, sex education as their focus the direction of the goal. Jiamaiqieer senior policy analyst at the Institute Stella Xi Sebo said: "This result coincided with the Bush administration's strict 'abstinence education program' to coincide, the program has received substantial financial support from the previous government. "
According to statistics, the U.S. adolescent sexuality in the last century, during the 70's to 80 years has been an upward trend, leading to under-age girls mothers continues to grow. Since 1991, due to fears the threat of AIDS, sex education in American society began to aggressively promote the young people to use contraceptives, thus making the United States, the phenomenon of teenage pregnancy significantly reduced in nearly 20 years has continued to fall.
However, as U.S. President George W. Bush during the sex education in the United States began to "abstinence education" turn, advocates of sex education in primary and secondary schools only teach children how to maintain sexual purity before marriage, without the provision of contraceptive knowledge, or even to prohibit mention of contraception, young people to postpone having sex for the first time time. This position for Bush to win a lot of conservative support. Conservatives believe that abstinence were not pregnant, nor can people pregnant, let alone sexually transmitted diseases. In 2005, the United States Congress approved the budget, there are 176 million U.S. dollars for "abstinence" education.
However, many experts agree that although "abstinence education" can persuade children to start having sex again delayed, but once the children have been "deviant" than those who receive sex education for young people to the ordinary, they will be more inclined to use contraceptives.
Suolabulang is a commitment to prevent young people from public service organization is responsible for unwanted pregnancies, and she believes that the latest figures show that the United States the last 10 years in sex education is a failure. She said: "Obviously, we make time for kids to postpone pregnancy, the measures should be more creative, more effective, it should start today."
Experts believe that sex education in the United States should have new ideas and directions, is committed to young people spread the concept of a healthy sex life and behavior, rather than simply through preaching abstinence to reduce the proportion of teenage pregnancy.
However, even now, abstinence education is also no lack of supporters. In their view, the current statistical data illustrates how to continue abstinence education is important. They also said that abstinence education can not only delay the time young people have sex for the first time, reducing the number of adolescent sexual partners, but also can be effective in reducing AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, the chance that this "more than a simple distribution of condoms so that young people have a healthy sexual behavior. " The National Abstinence Education Association, said a person in charge Valerie Huber, resulting in the current reasons for the increase of teenage pregnancy, more is due to "sexual topics are too many cultures, the lack of positive role models and youth sex nothing big deal of the argument. "
From the Obama administration's performance, after the United States, sex education is likely to be "walking on two legs." Since the Obama administration since he took office, has been for those working to persuade young people "abstinence" in the funding of various organizations, a decrease of 150 million U.S. dollars, also launched a 110 million U.S. dollars up to the prevention of teenage pregnancy program. Under this plan, the U.S. government will take "was proven to be effective way" to prevent soaring number of underage girls mothers, but also not completely negate the investment in abstinence education program.
