Abstinence-only sex education is a method that seems great on paper, but put into action is more harmful than helpful. If we want to prevent teen pregnancy and STDs, just don’t have sex!

However, in the modern era of 2019, more and more kids are being exposed to sexual topics, and are feeling that they have to act older than their age. In the end, they participate in those sexual activities that their teachers tried to get them to avoid.

As a country with an active problem of teen moms and STDs, we have to be willing to change our policies surrounding sexual health education and providing resources to students.

When students are presented with the opportunity to participate in intercourse and have had abstinence-only education, they may not know how to use contraceptive methods and what to do with those methods.

Most teens don’t want to be embarrassed so they may just go along with what their partner says is the best method even though it has risks. They just don’t know they exist. How is a teen supposed to say no to not using a condom when they don’t know the risks or issues with it?

Not only is abstinence-only education harming students in the realm of pregnancy and STDs, it also promotes heterosexual intercourse and monogamous relationships as the only “right” way.

There are other sorts of relationships that are happy and healthy and our sexual education should be inclusive. It needs to show all sorts of people and the ways that they experience love and intercourse. LGBTQ+ kids have the right to know sexual safety methods just as much as heterosexual teens.

However, some argue that education, where we are directly providing resources for students, promotes their promiscuity and we have to discourage kids from having any ideas about it.

The problem with this is that they’re thinking about it from their perspective as an older generation that doesn’t have the overwhelming, constant pressure that teens can experience from social media. We shouldn’t be actively promoting sex for teens, but we have to accept that we can ruin their life more by promoting only abstinence.

At Hudson High School we’re lucky enough to have a program that isn’t just abstinence. We have access to resources that aren’t just ‘don’t have sex and you’ll be fine!’ But that isn’t the case for many teens across the country. Schools need to step up and see how they’re harming their students more than helping by providing only abstinence education.