Why is it that if someone speaks out in favor of s*x education they are "educating" people but if they speak?

Question

out with a message of abstinence, they are "trying to tell others how to live".

Answer 1

Because abstinence only is an unreal goal that some people don't support.  That would be like only teaching addition in mathematics class and not teaching subtraction, multiplication, or division.

Answer 2

People, (meaning parents & teachers),  like to have a false sense of security, but they don't take into account a teenagers, " It would never happen to me, I'm to smart for that.", attitude.

But then the adults can say, "I don't understand how this happened, we did everything we could!"

Except to teach them to say, NO!!!

We're no longer talking about just getting pregnant, though that is bad enough, but there's other things like HIV-AIDS, for one. Then there's the chance of getting both pregnant & HIV.

No amount of protection is 100%. They just need to be taught  to wait, & not be pressured into something they may well live to regret.

Our children are precious, and deserve our very best.

Answer 3

A truly well-rounded s*x education curriculum (i.e. one that includes information on all birth control options INCLUDING abstinence) gives people the information they need to make truly informed choices. It does not prevent people who want to practice abstinence from practicing abstinence, but it also allows others who want to have s*x to have safe s*x and it recognizes that just telling people not to do something isn't enough to keep them from doing it. Abstinence-only s*x education only presents one option -- don't do it. This option and some of the reasons presented for it (e.g. premarital s*x is immoral) ignores the realities of how human beings behave and it also ignores the reality of life in a diverse society where people have many different ideas of the best way to do something. While it certainly doesn't prevent anyone from having s*x, abstinence-only s*x education doesn't not provide those people with the information needed to have s*x safely, and that is dangerous.

Answer 4

It's like the difference between educating people about dietary nutrition, and speaking out with a message of vegetarianism.

The former merely supplies people with information for them to make their own informed decision on what to eat, while the latter tries to persuade people to refrain from eating certain things (which, in essence, is telling them how to live).  The problem is, people are going to eat anyway, so ensuring that they don't eat meat specifically doesn't do anything to help them avoid eating other non-meat foods which might be hazardous to their health.

Answer 5

It's a shame that we don't preach abstinence anymore.  I don't feel teaching about abstinence is telling others how to live.  It is what God expects of us, to remain pure until marriage.  If we can teach s*x education, why can't abstinence be taught right along with it?  

Answer 6

Because there is nothing to base that abstinence works. If fact most stats weigh that it is the reason that 1 in 4 teenage girls has an STD. Some of which I can remind you, are terminal diseases.

Answer 7

You said it... s*x EDUCATION.

lets see how young teenagers  won`t get pregnant if they don`t know anything about s*x and their bodies.

s*x educators DO NOT tell to the children NOT to go and have s*x or to GO and HAVE s*x ....

but abstinence messages tells them DO NOT have s*x

Answer 8

Because people who are educated about s*x understand the risks, how to protect themselves, why and why not to have s*x,* AND, finally, understand that it's their choice or not to.

People being told to abstain are being told that wiser heads have made the choice for them.

Which, knowing teenagers, is another reason it doesn't work.

*For example! Girls used to be guilted into having s*x with myths like "they'll turn blue and I'll die." Now we know it's a myth.

Answer 9

Because people don't want to hear any reasons for them to stop doing what they so enjoy doing. In the s*x-soaked culture we live in, it's preposterous to tell someone to wait 'till they're married to have s*x.

Answer 10

s*x education does teach abstinence.  It just also teaches everything else with regards to s*x.  Why would you want to limit someones knowledge, especially with such drastic consequences.

Abstinence only s*x eduction is like "don't load it" only gun safety.

By the way, EVERY study shows that young adults who participate in s*x education classes are less likely to have promiscuous, unprotected s*x and are less likely to contract STD's than people who only have abstinence only classes.  It's a fact.  Look it up.

Answer 11

Firstly abstinence is almost if not always religious based.

Secondly i think its pretty much proven that abstinence only education fails abysmally. I recall a news story that showed how pupils being taught only abstinence thought they wouldn't get pregnant if they drank a bottle cap of bleach.  

To summarise s*x education is actual education taught for sake of the pupils whereas abstinence is taught so pupils fall in line with the dominant religion, usually Christianity.

Answer 12

The problem is that people who want to promote abstinence only education are never completely honest.  Yes, abstinence is the only 100% effect way to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STDs but abstinence is not for everyone.  There are ways to have healthy sexual relationships while preventing unwanted consequences.