Abstinence-only sex education comes under scrutiny

CHICAGO — The birds and the bees may be universal, but what schoolchildren learn about their sexuality is not. And it may again be up for debate.

This spring, Congress will consider whether to curtail its support of abstinence-only lessons. That, coupled with a recent uptick in U.S. teen pregnancies and new research that suggests abstinence-only programs are not as effective as more sweeping programs at changing behavior, may augur a shift in what schools teach about sex.

The federal investment in abstinence-only education spiked 74 percent under President George W. Bush to total $176 million annually.

President Barack Obama, meanwhile, has said he supports adding other forms of contraception to the lessons as part of an "age-appropriate, medically accurate program" to reduce teen pregnancies. Congress cut $14 million from abstinence education programs last month.

The tenor of the discussions concerns Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association.

"If federal funding for abstinence education were to go away … the breadth of the approach will be hindered," Huber said. "We're hoping that's not the case, but so many communities and states are in an economic downturn."

Sex education is not required in Illinois schools, but state law says that if it is taught, it must emphasize abstinence. The particulars fall to local school boards, who have created a patchwork of policies.

Chicago and Urbana school boards have approved comprehensive policies that cover everything from healthy relationships to using condoms and other contraceptives that guard against sexually transmitted diseases. Middle schools from Gurnee to Schaumburg teach about abstinence and human development, but draw the line at family planning.

Joliet Central High School teacher Susan Cailteux is reminded of how varied the sex education curriculum is at the elementary and middle school level every time she begins a unit with a 25-point quiz on the reproductive system.

"I'll get kids with a 5. They don't even get the uterus right," said Cailteux, who teaches high school sophomores about both abstinence and contraception. "It's very frustrating at times because you expect them to know the basics, but the basics have not been taught."

Sophomore Tim Nemec, 16, of Joliet acknowledged that he never learned much about reproduction or the risk of infections until he took the health course required of all sophomores at Joliet Central. After that, he noticed a shift in some classmates' attitudes.

"There were some kids who went in like, 'I don't care. I'll do what I want,' " Nemec said. "But after a while, they were sort of like, 'Wow, I don't know if this person is clean or not,' or, 'I could actually get someone pregnant.' "