AMONG other progressive leaders in Congress, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has been a top advocate for a bipartisan bill aimed at reducing the need for abortions by putting "prevention first." She was recently criticized by Tony Perkins of the conservative Family Research Council. As he so ignorantly put it: "Their idea of reducing unintended pregnancies is more sex education and distribution of contraceptives. ... That's not the solution, that's part of the problem."
To which James Wagoner, President of Advocates for Youth, a D.C.-based non-profit leading the fight for comprehensive sexual health education, would reply, "Umbrellas don't cause rain."
Although this metaphor is succinct, catchy and makes perfect sense to me, it warrants a discussion of sexuality education in more specific and tangible terms. Contrary to Perkins' convoluted notions, research has shown that youth who sign "virginity pledges" -- a staple of abstinence-only education --are 30 percent less likely to use contraception when they become sexually active, yet 80 percent of them break the pledge.
In the weeks after Planned Parenthood's national "Back Up your Birth Control Day" and VOX's sponsoring of the "EC Van" on Grounds, there is no better time to set the facts straight: We are in a national state of sexual health crisis, and comprehensive sexuality health education is part of the solution to the problems of teen pregnancy and HIV.
Perkins' argument follows about the same logic as Del. Bob Marshall, R-Prince William, who has claimed that having emergency contraceptives accessible on campuses would make college women "frat boys' love canals."
Umbrellas don't cause rain.
Luckily for Perkins and Marshall, comprehensive sex ed and emergency contraception have been consistently underfunded, ignored in political discourse and misunderstood.
Since 1996, over $1.1 billion has been allocated to abstinence-only-until-marriage "sex education" programs in our nation's public schools. The money to fund the misleading, archaic and heteronormative programs was snuck into the language of the Welfare Reform Act under the Clinton administration.
Not a single peer-reviewed study has shown that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are an effective way to keep children healthy, whereas the evidence is overwhelming for a more comprehensive approach. During this time, however, not a single cent has gone towards comprehensive sex education. This is irresponsible, unacceptable and dangerous.
This is dangerous because as a Peer Health Educator, I have seen people who have no idea how to put on a condom correctly or what emergency contraception is. Given that over 63.5 percent of University students are sexually active, this terrifies me. In the United States, 55 young people will contract HIV every day; 10,000 will get a sexually transmitted infection.
The introduction of the Responsible Education About Life Act (the REAL Act) by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., is a step in the right direction. To rectify the ills of the current policies, the REAL Act provides students with information and empowerment to make the safest and healthiest choices when and if they do choose to become sexually active.
The cosponsors of this bill realistically understand, as medical professionals and health educators do, that teens are having sex. They understand that youth also have a right to be armed with the knowledge to protect themselves against pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. They understand that teaching about condoms and contraceptives is not leading to more sex; it is leading to safer sex.It is not causing the "problem" of sexually active teens.
The beauty of this comprehensive sexual health education act is that it is just that -- comprehensive. The language of the bill outlines nine requirements for all family life education programs, all of which are equally essential when implementing such education, going far beyond just talking about contraception.
The programs outlined by the REAL Act are abstinence-based, not abstinence-only. Abstinence is the only 100 percent fail-proof way to avoid pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections. This is not just to keep the Tony Perkins of the world happy; it is true. No proponent of comprehensive sex education that I know, the Peer Health Educators and myself included, would ever dream of telling a young person otherwise. This is a critical for an honest discussion surrounding sex and facilitates responsible decision-making.
The outreaches we conduct as PHEs are medically accurate and inclusive of all of our peers. There is no judgment; we want all students at this university -- those who are sexually active as well as those who are not -- to be safe, healthy and armed with the information that could save their lives when they do choose to be sexual activity. The implementation of the REAL Act has the potential to mandate similar, necessary programs in the nation's public schools. Unfortunately, it is not doing much good hanging out in sub-committees in both the Senate and the House.
Steph Shaw is a Cavalier Daily contributor. She is a Peer Health Educator and associate director of Promoting HIV Negativity.
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