Illinois Bans Abstinence-Only Sex Ed: ‘In Fantasy Land, We Teach Our Kids Abstinence’

[DonViejo]

Illinois public schools will be required to include medically accurate information about birth control in their sex ed classes under a measure that the state legislature passed this week. HB 2675, which Gov. Pat Quinn (D) is expected to sign into law, will prohibit health classes from teaching abstinence-only curricula.

Illinois’ current law requires sex ed classes to emphasize abstinence as “the expected norm,” and stipulates that “course material and instruction shall stress that pupils should abstain from sexual intercourse until they are ready for marriage.” Public schools can choose between teaching abstinence-only education, using a mix of stressing abstinence while providing comprehensive information about birth control and condoms, or simply declining to provide any sex ed instruction. Under HB 2675, schools won’t be able to choose the abstinence-only option anymore — they’ll need to either offer comprehensive information about prevention methods, or decide not to offer any sex ed courses whatsoever.

State Sen. Linda Holmes (D) spearheaded the measure because she doesn’t believe that abstinence-only curricula adequately equips teens with the resources they need to safeguard their sexual health. “In fantasy land, we teach our kids abstinence — and they listen. But we know they don’t necessarily follow that advice,” Holmes explained. “They are going to be confronted with the issue of sex before they’re 21 years old, or 25, or whenever they decide to get married.”

Holmes is right. By their 19th birthday, seven in ten American teens will have had sex. And even the Americans who grow up in socially conservative communities aren’t delaying sex until marriage — by some estimates, 80 percent of unmarried evangelical Christians have had sex at least once. But when those young people become sexually active, they often don’t understand how to effectively protect themselves. Since abstinence-only classes often mislead students about the facts about contraception, 60 percent of young adults underestimate birth control’s effectiveness and are more likely to skip it because they don’t believe it will make a difference.

full article:
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/05/24/2058601/illinois-bans-abstinence-sex-ed/

[louis-t]

1. Finally, some common sense, because.....

"don't do it cuz I say so" only works for so long.

[surrealAmerican]

2. It's a step in the right direction ...

... but I imagine most of those "abstinence-only" districts will opt for no sex-ed, rather than teaching about contraception, after which they'll try to shoehorn some sort of "morals education" in by some other route.

[Honeycombe8]

10. What's wrong with parents teaching their kids about sex?

If parents think it's important, they can have the birds and bees talk with their kids. No reason to wait for school sex ed. They can get a book, etc. If the parents want their kids to practice abstinence, they can educate their kids that way.

[awoke_in_2003]

12. Because a lot of parents don't do it...

that is why real sex Ed should be required in schools. And for the record, my father bought a book about it for me when I was 12, and we had discussions about the book. He really stressed that if I must do it, wear a condom.

[surrealAmerican]

15. Nothing. Just like there's nothing wrong with parents teaching their children about algebra.

That doesn't mean the subject should not be taught in school though.

[BrotherIvan]

16. Sadly, most parents are ignorant as well

Because sex ed has been so screwed up and the religious attack on science, I'm sure there are plenty of people who have bred who still don't understand how the process works. Human biology is science, and should be taught in school.

[HockeyMom]

3. No matter how much the abstinence only religous people

want to force this on schools, they still cannot GAG a parent from teaching their own kids about birth control.

[hobbit709]

4. If abstinence really worked there wouldn't be 7 billion people on the planet.

[A Simple Game]

13. I hate to have to tell you this but abstinence really does work.

However abstinence only education doesn't work. Which I'm sure is what you meant.

[CBGLuthier]

5. Great. Now if they could just keep the god damned schools OPEN

maybe kids will learn something useful.

[Cha]

6. "Fantasy land".. they have a Lot of that going on.

Reality is where it's at.

thanks DV

[sheshe2]

7. K&R! n/t

[lunasun]

8. Good move - cut out the BS - kids don't need to hear BS

[Politicub]

9. Positive development.

[Myrina]

11. Too bad public schools are being shut down

No public schools, no factual sex-ed. Charter schools can teach all the religious based abstinence-only bullshit they want, though.

[ck4829]

14. But... but... what about all the ways their bodies can shut that thing down?

Will they ever find out how that works?

No. Good work, Illinois. K&R.

[BrotherIvan]

17. You have a very good point

How on earth did all those nutters--some of whom claim to be doctors--get those insane ideas? Because they were never taught the real truth and so accepted those ignorant lies. When you're a kid, where do you learn sex from first? Your friends. There are a lot of rumors and half-truths in there. I remember two kids in junior high trying to have sex, but since we hadn't gotten to that in school, they couldn't figure out how to do it. I met a graduate student in college who thought that women urinated from their vaginas.

That is why, as embarrassing and eyeroll worthy the sex ed programs are, at least they provide a bedrock of some truth. I remember a series of books by an author called Judy Bloom that dealt with sexual maturity written for teens that our parents were up in arms about and we secretly exchanged. It was a good place to find things out.

We think that like so many things, if we shield our children and make some magical fantasy world for them, they will never have to deal with reality. I've met plenty sheltered children and adults and they are the most immature, ill-prepared, lost people in the world. Yet all my friends are parenting their children this way, though they would never admit that to themselves.