Illinois could set tone for sex ed nationwide
SEX & RELATIONSHIPS | Obama's home state sees pitfalls of abstinence-only programs
Now that the country has taken the best that Illinois has to offer -- President-elect Barack Obama -- it hopefully will not hesitate to take the rest of Illinois' bounteous offeringsl.
In fact, when it comes to sex education, Illinois is leading the nation with bright ideas and a dedication to reform. And it is no secret that our country is in dire need of this reform. From Hollywood to Gloucester, Mass., teens across the United States are practicing unsafe sex, leading to new STD infections every day and a lack of decline in teenage pregnancy.
Let's hope that when President Bush vacates the Oval Office, he takes with him the myth of abstinence-only education. In this past year, a study commissioned by Congress found that abstinence-only education does not deter teenagers from having sex, nor does it encourage them to use contraception.
In the place of ineffective abstinence-only sex education, we need comprehensive abstinence-centric sex education. What's the difference? The former only preaches the need to wait. The latter also encourages teens to wait, but additionally teaches them how to negotiate condom use and how to practice safer sex, along with illustrating the realities of STDs and pregnancy. There's a big difference in scare tactics and education -- one is effective, and one isn't.
Obama is well aware of this difference, which is why he supported a campaign for sex education reform in the Senate. During the presidential election, his stance on comprehensive sex education was turned against him in a factually inaccurate advertisement that stated he wanted to teach kids sex education before they could even read. Not so.
Instead, Obama voted for a bill that would offer some sexual education to kindergartners, mainly to help kids protect themselves from sexual abuse. As he stated at the time, education on inappropriate touching was "included specifically in the law so that kindergartners are able to exercise some possible protection against abuse, because I have family members as well as friends who suffered abuse at that age."
Of course, like most bills, the sex education reform bill did need a little tweaking. When it was first introduced in 2004, the wording did allow for kindergartners to receive education on STDs, a concept that a young child cannot understand (or need to understand). Middle school is a more appropriate age for such in-depth sex education, so the bill was not perfect.
However, now that the necessary tweaking is under way and now that we have a president who knows and understands that old-fashioned thinking should not get in the way of public health concerns, our children hopefully will soon begin receiving sex ed that will protect them, rather than threaten them, and educate them, rather than lecture them.
To President-elect Obama, it's time for a coherent, nationwide, sensible sex education policy. And, if you are looking for an informed, savvy, blond, scientific thought leader to be the nation's first sex education czar, I just might know one!
See Dr. Berman at 6:45 a.m. Fridays on WMAQ-Channel 5. She is author of the new best seller, Real Sex for Real Women.