SEX: A Personal Choice

By: Alberto Aquino, Elira Brucaj, Carol Fernandez, Prabjot Kaur

Abstinence programs in public schools encourage teenagers to abstain
from sex as the only effective method to prevent sexually transmitted
diseases (STD), sexually transmitted infections (STI), and teenage
pregnancy. “They [students] should know that it’s okay not to have sex,” said Ann Utke, a pre-med teacher at Lehman College.
New laws passed by state legislatures in Iowa and Colorado are presenting obstacles for abstinence programs in public schools. It requires that such programs should be based on science or research, which is just another method to lecture on safer sex rather than abstinence. Some students and experts believe that these programs are futile because they have little effect in stopping students from having sex. “Just saying don’t do it, won’t stop them,” said Utke.
Abstinence programs are ways to provide choices to public high school
students, not to gear them in one direction, says Utke.
These programs, however, are threatened by state legislatures
plans to stop them from being carried out public schools. Trends suggest that children who take part in such programs are just as likely to engage in sex at the same age as children who don’t, according to a study published in Medical News Today. State governments in places like Texas have decided to no longer finance abstinence programs because they do not appear to be effective.
“That’s a shame,” says Cindy Kreisberg, health director at
Lehman College. She believes that these programs offer students knowledge and choices about sex.
School administrations use sex education and condom distribution to promote safe sex among high school students. The message schools send to their students by handing out free condoms is a controversial one. While some believe that it encourages safe sex, others believe that it is promoting casual sex.
“It’s natural to have sex, but if they’re going to have sex,
they should be protected from getting infected by STIs and STDs,” said
Christine Chan, a 17 year old high school student who is currently in
the Pre-Med Health Program at Lehman College.