NEWS RELEASE
Five of nine sex education curricula evaluated are recommended in state DPI resource packets
MADISON — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report this week on the effectiveness of “comprehensive” sex education with some startling findings: the most commonly used sex education programs do not keep teens from having sex but rather contain a number of sexually explicit lessons for students as young as 13. The abstinence message is virtually non-existent.
“Five of the nine commonly-used ‘comprehensive’ sex education curricula that were reviewed in the report are mentioned in the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Human Growth and Development Resource Packet to Assist School Districts,” said Wisconsin Family Council CEO Julaine K. Appling. “It is not a stretch to say that school districts all over the state are using these curricula in human growth and development classes. Parents should be outraged.”
“This report demonstrates what pro-abstinence supporters have been saying all along: ‘comprehensive’ sex education, which the National Institutes of Health defines as ‘teaching both abstinence and the use of protective methods for sexually active youth,’ all but ignore abstinence and actually promote sexual activity among teens,” said Appling. “Among the five curricula evaluated in the study that are in the DPI resource packet, ‘condom/condoms’ were mentioned 183 to 650 times; ‘pregnant, pregnancy’ occurred 8 to 348 times; and ‘protect (s, ed), protection’ occurred between 24 to 314 times. The word ‘abstinence’ was mentioned 5 to 90 times. Two curricula did not mention marriage at all and the other three mentioned the word ‘marriage’ one to four times. ‘Emotional consequences’ is mentioned once in one curriculum, twice in a second curriculum, and not all in the other three curricula the Wisconsin DPI includes in its resource packet.”
“Now is not the time for Governor Doyle to refuse federal funds for abstinence education. He should ask for even more funding. It is glaringly obvious that ‘comprehensive’ sex education is ineffective. The abstinence message that includes the importance of developing friendships and relationships and developing respect for oneself and for others is lost in the morass of condoms, sexual role play, and inappropriate activities,” said Appling.
The curriculum reviews evaluated four questions: (1) Does the curricula content mirror its stated purposes? (2) What is the content of comprehensive sex education curricula? (3) Do comprehensive sex education contain medically inaccurate statements? (4) Do evaluations of these curricula show them to effectively (1) delay sexual debut and (b) reduce sex without condoms?
Curricula were chosen for the study based on endorsements from eight sexuality information organizations and resources that included Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), a sexuality education, health and rights advocacy group; national and regional offices of Planned Parenthood; and The Alan Guttmacher Institute, a research, policy and education group with close ties to Planned Parenthood.
The curriculum with the most balanced discussion of abstinence still discussed condoms and contraception nearly seven times more than abstinence. The curriculum content focused on ways to lessen the risk of sexual activity; abstinence was a “non-trivial component.” Most of the curricula did not discuss condom failure rates in context and every curricula contained misleading statements on contraceptive use.
Formerly known as The Family Research Institute of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Family Council is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization committed to serving