SIECUS REVIEWS FEAR-BASED, ABSTINENCE-ONLY-UNTIL-MARRIAGE CURRICULA

SIECUS REVIEWS FEAR-BASED, ABSTINENCE-ONLY-UNTIL-MARRIAGE CURRICULA

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In recent years there has been a proliferation of abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula and materials designed to control young people's sexual behavior by instilling fear, shame, and guilt. As the federal government continues to pour funding into abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, more and more states and communities must decide whether these curricula are appropriate for their young people.

To help parents, educators, and community members better understand these programs, SIECUS frequently reviews popular fear-based, abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula.

Although they vary, these curricula share a number of common characteristics: they are based on religious beliefs, rely on fear and shame, omit important information, include inaccurate information, and present stereotypes and biases as fact.

What These Curricula Say

By portraying premarital sexual behavior as universally dangerous and denying young people information about pregnancy and disease prevention, the curricula are in direct opposition to the goals of comprehensive sexuality education, including helping young people develop a healthy understanding of sexuality so that they can make responsible decisions throughout their lives.

SIECUS supports teaching young people about abstinence. In fact, SIECUS' Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education, K-12 state that one of the four primary goals of sexuality education is "to help young people exercise responsibility in relationships, including addressing abstinence and [how] to resist pressure to become prematurely involved in sexual relationships."

However, abstinence is just one of over 30 topics in the Guidelines. SIECUS does not support teaching young people only about abstinence-primarily because scientific evaluations have never proven that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are effective. In addition, SIECUS does not support any program that uses fear, shame, negative messages, or inaccurate information to control young people's behavior.

Where They Are Used

It is difficult to know exactly how many schools and community-based programs across the country are using these curricula. Local school districts and communities are responsible for choosing what curricula they will use with their students and, even when programs are federally funded, there is little government oversight.

We do know, however, that the Choosing the Best curricula are used in federally funded programs in Georgia, Iowa, and Missouri; that the FACTS curricula are used in federally funded programs in Arizona, Nebraska, Oregon, and Utah; that Game Plan is used in federally funded programs in Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York; and that Sex Respect is used in federally funded programs in Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. (For more information, see SIECUS' State Profiles.)

It is likely, however, that these programs are used in federally, state, and privately funded programs in many other states and communities. Respect Inc.'s website, for example, boasts that their curriculum has been used in all 50 states and 23 foreign countries. Choosing the Best, Inc. suggests that since 1993, more than 700,000 students have participated in Choosing the Best programs in 2,500 school districts in 50 states.

Young People Deserve More

SIECUS believes that our students deserve more than this. They deserve comprehensive sexuality education that provides unbiased, accurate information about sexuality and relationships including vital information on such important topics as STDs, HIV, and pregnancy prevention.

We hope that our reviews will alert parents, educators, and policymakers to the inaccurate, negative, and potentially harmful messages common to fear-based, abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula.