October 21, 2022
by Alexis Goodman
The authors of comprehensive sex education (CSE) label the countries who accept their curriculum as “champions”. Champions are, “influential thought leaders, including politicians, celebrities, young people, religious leaders, and others from inside and outside the educational field, who believe in the importance of CSE”. The effects of CSE are said to be seen instantaneously in a country, causing things such as:
- Delayed initiation of sexual intercourse
- Decreased frequency of sexual intercourse
- Decreased number of sexual partners
- Reduced risk taking
- Increased use of condoms
- Increased use of contraception
Interestingly enough, these results are the product of only two evidence reviews having been done on CSE, one in 2008 and one in 2016, both of which were commissioned by one of the authors of CSE, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Some of the limitations of these studies were that the evaluation designs were only “minimally acceptable”, and “statistically underpowered”. Additionally, they could not get their research published because programs “are more likely to accept articles for publication when the results are positive”, indicating that the results were not matching the hypothesis. The reviews also only assessed short-term affects, not long-term ones, and methods used to conduct the trials affected the reliability of the outcomes.
Comprehensive sex education authors “champion” their results so loudly that they hope to hide the dismal accuracy of them. There is a push for this type of education in countries around the world, with manuals being targeted towards countries like the Caribbean, Jamaica, Thailand, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
What is Comprehensive Sex Education?
The question is, what is this curriculum? One of the guides provided for CSE explained this approach to sex education: “It promotes structured learning about sex and relationships in a manner that is positive, affirming, and centered on the best interest of the young person.”
Reading through the various manuals, pamphlets, and guides distributed about comprehensive sex education, one can glean that the approach is more than just positive, affirming, and it is not entirely focused on what is best for the child.
Comprehensive means all encompassing. So, when the word is tacked onto sex education, the teachings do not end with just the biological and technical aspects of puberty and intercourse. Included are different sexualities and ways of having sex, how to consent to sex, normalizes homosexual behavior, encourages sexual pleasure (especially self-stimulation), gives the greenlight for becoming sexually active at a younger age, promotes contraception and abortion, and pushes for sexual rights.
It is extraordinary that the designers of this curriculum tout its ability to decrease the frequency and initial start of sex, seeing as how the entire focus is on exploring yourself sexually as well as others (in a consensual way of course). Conflicting messages are taught, for example: prostitution is reduced to merely ‘sex work’ in the manuals, leading one to believe that engaging with multiple individuals is just any other job. How can such teachings minimize sexual encounters among adolescents while at the same time encouraging increased sexual behaviors?
Examples of Comprehensive Sex Education
The following are some examples of comprehensive sex education around the world, not including the prevalent material seen in the US. For more information, click here.
Healthy, Happy, & Hot– A guide produced and distributed by the International Planned Parenthood Federation, it is highly promiscuous and erotic in its advisal of leading a sexual life while having HIV or being with someone who lives with HIV. One of the more mind-boggling statements in the pamphlet is, “Young people living with HIV have the right to decide if, when, and how they tell others about their HIV status.”
You, Your Life, Your Dreams (Caribbean)– This manual was supported by United Nations Population Fund and includes explicit images of the female and male body, homosexual ideology, and describes in depth what every stage of sexual intercourse looks and feels like.
My Future Is My Choice (Namibia)– Instructions for this manual include talking about childhood sex play, homosexuality, wet dreams, and masturbation to adolescents through playing games, activities, and discussions.
My Changing Body (Rwanda, Africa)– The target seen here are Very Young Adolescents, which the manual repeatedly just refers to as YVA’s, as a way to hide the fact that their target audience is only 10-14 years old. One of the teachings are of a “Fertility Awareness Chain”, and the manual explains to the children on what days a women should and shouldn’t have sex to avoid pregnancy. It also goes into depth about gender roles and gender identity.
Other Things to Consider
It is incredible to me, that in all its pervasive forms, comprehensive sex education isn’t really all that comprehensive. It fails to address many aspects, one of the main things being that waiting to have sex until after marriage is a leading indicator of success in relationships.
There are also two aspects to consider here. First, why is it that Planned Parenthood, whose pregnancy resolution services are composed of abortions by 95% and reportedly made over one billion dollars off abortions in 2011 and two billion in 2020, is handing out sex education materials? Would it not be considered a conflict of interest that the very organization that makes money off pregnancies of women in vulnerable situations is also encouraging those women to engage in activities that create pregnancies?
And secondly, as Monsignor Robert Murphy said at the UN third committee on child pornography, “It is a mistake to think that a society where an abnormal consumption of internet sex is rampant among adults could be capable of effectively protecting minors.” How can we put our trust in individuals who won’t denounce pornography as a danger, to adequately prepare our children for sex?
A Solution Safe for Everyone
The answer to all this confusion is to make sure sex education is taught in the home and by families that genuinely love and care for their children. Teach the emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects to intimacy in a relationship, and the benefits of abstinence. A useful resource if you are unsure of how to go about educating your children is Educate Empower Kids. Included are appropriate ages for appropriate topics, information on the dangers of pornography, and how to use technology for good. Another great resource is UFI’s very own Homefront Kids Unit on Parents Teach Sex Best.
Don’t hesitate to talk to your kids and create a safe and learning environment where they feel that they can come to you with questions. Because if you hesitate, a foreign and more than likely dangerous influence will be guiding your child in matters that are essential for their development.
https://www.comprehensivesexualityeducation.org/waronchildren/
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Alexis Goodman was raised on a ranch in Dadeville, Missouri. She loves spending time with her husband, reading, hiking mountains, and learning new hobbies. She is currently a student at Brigham Young University-Idaho, where she is working to get a degree in Political Science with an emphasis on American Government.