Let's Talk About Sex, Maybe?

Or maybe not…if you are a Texas student learning about [not-so-] sexual education. And just in case you are one who has not recently experienced sex ed. in Texas, it currently has as much information about sex in it as Texas Law allows for it – so basically very little. In fact, most students could say that their teachers were ones that would stumble out of shock when coming across the rare word “s-e-x”.

As mentioned earlier, the reason for this is that Texas law prohibits much talk about sex and protection of sex using condoms or contraception. The law, the Texas Education Code, is rather specific in what can and cannot be taught for human sexuality instruction. First of all, all course material (so books, pamphlets, and other information pertaining to intercourse and sexually transmitted diseases) is selected by the district school board under local health education council advice. The material has to put abstinence before all other sexual activity as the “preferred choice of behavior,”[1] giving it more time to be preached upon. Students should be able to grasp that abstinence (before marriage) is the only one hundred percent method of protection from unplanned pregnancy and/or getting STDs. The Texas Education Code does give information on protected sex, in that all that can be taught about the matter is the percentages of human use of contraception – and that’s only if there is text mentioned about it, otherwise the topic can be left out. So, there is absolutely no information given on how effective certain condoms or methods of contraception are for protection against getting pregnant or transmitting diseases via intercourse. Also, schools can not make condoms accessible to students when teaching about human sexuality. The Law goes on to set guidelines for creating the local health education council.

Of these so-called abstinence-geared textbooks, only one that was under review by the Texas State Board of Education made reference of condoms. Others felt teens should “get plenty of rest if they want to avoid sexually transmitted diseases” or that students can “help prevent pregnancies by respecting themselves”. [2] And now, some Texas Congressmen and women desire to make sexual education even narrower. House Bill No. 311 which was recently introduced calls for requiring school districts to notify parents or guardians before a student can have education about human sexuality. An identical bill has been introduced in the Senate and each has been referred to committees on education.

Of course many interests are ecstatic about Texas’s method. Abstinence advocates feel it is the best was to preach to students to avoid pregnancy and STDs. They feel that keeping the youth free from unplanned pregnancy results in more ability to think about their education and future. However critics feel that the best education gives students the ability to know about abstinence and protected sex via condoms and contraception.

So come learn about sexual education in Texas! Or maybe…just come learn a little bit. What young students will only be learning in Texas stands: abstinence education, or the “no-sex is safe-sex” education. The only problem is, the statistics stand strong as well - Texas had the highest teen pregnancy rate in 2004. [3]