Conservative Reform
At the bare minimum, we believe that the current standards for sex education need to include information of what is actually considered rape and basic instruction about gay and lesbian individuals. Currently, the curriculum lacks anything regarding coercion and rape. In our conservative reform, we will modify the section of the curriculum regarding responsible sexual behavior so as to incorporate adequate information about what constituents consent, when consent can not be given, the involvement of drugs and alcohol in date/party rape, and what coercion is. The curriculum also does not sufficiently address gay and lesbian individuals. We will extend the information provided on lesbians and gays to include anti-bullying and awareness-raising content.
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ProsWhile not as in-depth, this plan emphasizes making good choices, what is “proper consent." Under this plan, we would also focus on understanding those whose sexualities are marginalized in our society. Although this plan would not be able to reach these points at a deeper level, it will help prevent bullying and sexual intimidation while also being less controversial in a conservative or religious environment.
According to several large-scale studies, 45% of males and 35% of females reported having received very little or no formal sexual education prior to having sex for the first time. Even though this plan is not as comprehensive or all-encompassing, it provides a very strong foundation on which to build an effective and cogent curriculum. We also believe that this plan is not as controversial or difficult to implement as more in-depth plans. |
ConsThese changes only cover the basis of the LGBTQA+ spectrum and do not offer a complete understanding of the situation, such as the use of proper pronouns and wider range of sexual orientations and gender identities. This plan also barely touches on the emotional aspect of how rape and coercion effects the perpetrator and victim, and how conscious choices to have sex affects others. Other detractions of this plan include its failure to address abstinence and sexual behavior in an unbiased, fact-based way, and a stress on respect for an individual’s choice to be sexually active or not. According to studies at Columbia University and University of Washington, among others, simply portraying the positive effects of abstinence are not as effective as a more all-encompassing program. Because this program is more focused on abstinence than others, it will likely be less effective in reducing teen pregnancy and STD's. In addition, while this program does contain information regarding the LGBTQA+ spectrum, it does not include a complete analysis or discussion of its effect on both individual students, as well as society as a whole.
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