health rights

Abstinence only sex education violates the basic human right to health.
These programs teach that abstinence is the only way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, HIV and other STDs. There is a lack of information about contraceptive methods, and some of the teachings are proven to be medically inaccurate.
For example, they may teach that condoms do not decrease the dangers of sex, or that AIDS can be contracted via sweat.
Comprehensive sex education emphasizes abstinence but also teaches about methods of contraception, promoting the use of condoms. There is currently no law to regulate what is being taught in sex ed classes.

 Internationally recognized law clearly states that all people have the
right to “seek, receive and impart information of all kinds” including
information about their health. The CRC, CEDAW, ICCPR, and, ICESCR are four major international covenants which support this. CEDAW also states that women have the “rights to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to have access to the information, education, and means to enable them to exercise these rights.”

Some people say promoting abstinence and condom use in the same class sends mixed messages. Numerous research studies have proven again and again that teaching comprehensive sex ed. does not actually increase sexual activity.
The issue here is what works when it comes to protecting peoples’ health.

Since 1998, more than $1 billion in federal funds have been allocated to abstinence-only programs, including nearly $800 million between 2001 and 2006, during the presidency of George W. Bush.
Despite the fact that abstinence-only programs have not proven successful here in the U.S., they are at the core of the Bush Administration’s plan for U.S. involvement in HIV/AIDS prevention globally.
In the late 90s Uganda was using the ABC prevention formula, which stands for Abstinence, Be faithful and Condoms. Their HIV infection rate went from 30% to 10%.
Now their program has been taken over by abstinence only programs, due to United States funding and things are getting worse. In only two years the HIV infections have almost doubled going from 70,000 in 2003 to130,000 in 2005

In France, Germany and the Netherlands, there are dramatically fewer cases of teenage pregnancy, HIV and other STD infection. For example, here in the US the teen pregnancy rate is nine times higher than that in the Netherlands. How can we use these countries as a model? Scroll down to the entry titled “Comparing the US to France, Germany and the Netherlands” to find out more about this.

We need laws to create a standard for comprehensive sex education. It is a basic human right that should be regulated and enforced.