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Planned Parenthood Continues Efforts to Undermine Parents

Planned Parenthood Continues Efforts to Undermine Parents

A recent report by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) continues the advance against parental authority by advocating for the expansion of sex-education programs to include children as young as 10 years of age. In the report, Stand and Deliver, the authors argue that children as young as 10 should be considered “sexual beings” who have a “right” to be provided comprehensive sex education, which excludes abstinence education.
Stand and Deliver follows a United Nations report that recommended children as young as five receive mandatory sexual education that would include teaching pre-kindergarteners about masturbation and sexual diversity. Both studies imply that children and teens do not have access to information, or proper guidance from heath professionals, teachers or parents, and thus argue for government-mandated comprehensive sex-education programs.
According to the study’s authors, Stand and Deliver explains in depth the disparities “young people” experience in both developed and under-developed countries, particularly in regard to sexual and reproductive health. The authors define “young people” as those from 10 to 24 years of age, and then explain that young peoples’ limited access to health services, education, employment, money and information (about sex, gender roles and relationships, for example), makes them vulnerable to poor sexual and reproductive health.
The report further asserts that religious institutions are greatly responsible for denying children access to comprehensive sexual programs and education. It states, “Fundamentalist and other religious groups – the Catholic Church and madrasas (Islamic Schools) for example – have imposed tremendous barriers that prevent young people from obtaining information and services related to sex education and reproduction.” 
The report presupposes that sex education proponents believe that all humans are sexual animals who lack self-control, and assumes that the natural tendency of young people is to engage in sexual relations regardless of parental or biblical instruction. 
The author’s failure to recognize or consider the importance of abstinence education demonstrates the study’s bias. In last week’s Dateline Sacramento, CFC shared a new study by the American Medical Association’s Archive of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, which found that abstinence education, is effective in reducing teen sexual activity. Research has repeatedly shown “that abstinent teens report, on average, better psychological well-being and higher academic achievement than sexually active teens.” Further, abstinence dramatically decreases an individual’s exposure to sexually transmitted diseases.  
Studies have also shown that abstinence-based programs have effectively reduced sexual activity, or delayed a teen’s participation in sexual activity. These studies soundly refute the belief that teens cannot practice self-restraint when provided with consequences and options. For example, a study of seventh-graders from Northern Virginia found that students that participated in the abstinence education program were half as likely as non-participants to engage in sexual activity.
The success and effectiveness of abstinence-based programs resulted in the enactment of Section 510 of Title V of the Social Security Act. Section 510 established the State Abstinence Education Program, which teaches abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage as an expected standard for all school age children and stresses the social, psychological and health benefits of abstinence. 
Contrary to what the IPPF report asserts, valid and reliable research shows that abstinence education programs are effective and that parents should have the primary responsibility for teaching their children about sex, not the government or our schools. In a recent Rasmussen Poll 50% of Americans believe abstinence-only programs are effective, while 68% believe sex-education programs should include abstinence education. The poll also found that 80% of Americans believe it is the responsibility of parents to teach their children about sex. 
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