A report came out today evaluating sex education in Texas, where teaching abstinence is the norm, and the findings are not promising.
After two years of studying instructional materials from 990 school districts, the watchdog group Texas Freedom Network determined that abstinence-only is taught in 94 percent of Texas schools, and that schools use shame, shame's bff religion, and scare tactics to discourage students from having sex, and some schools are reinforcing negative gender stereotypes.
Furthermore, 41 percent of materials used for teaching about condoms and prevention of STDs in Texas schools contain factual errors. One school district is teaching eighth graders that when used properly, condoms are only 80 percent effective in preventing pregancy. The actual effective rate is more like 97-98 percent.
"Most examples share a common purpose and likely effect -- discouraging young people from using condoms," says the report.
Some of their findings are outright baffling. One abstinence-only source, Wonderful Days, used in three districts contains this quotation: "If a woman is dry, the sperm will die, if a woman is wet, a baby she may get!"
Holy moly. The full report and executive summary are available on the Texas Freedom Network website.
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