Preview

Abstinence Rhetorical Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
696 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Abstinence Rhetorical Analysis
Taylor Gilchrist
Ms. Laseter
English 102
8 June 2014
Abstinence vs. Contraception Should early sex education programs only teach about abstinence or should they include the facts about contraception too? There is no specific way that it has to be taught but there is a debate on which ways have the best outcome. Abstinence is refraining from having sex and the only way to not get infected with a sexually transmitted disease. On the other hand, contraception is also known as birth control or other devices that help prevent pregnancy but are not one hundred percent effective. In the article “A Debate About Teaching Abstinence,” Deborah Kotz successfully appeals to credibility, logic, and emotion in order to prove a point that early sex
…show more content…
Marilyn Keefe, director of reproductive health and rights at the nonprofit National Partnership for Women and Families, stated that “Abstinence-only programs are ideology driven and not a good use of our public-health dollars.” Another example of a reliable source Kotz uses in her article is that she gets some answers from public-health experts that blame a three percent increase in teen birthrates after a decrease for fourteen years on sex education programs that taught only abstinence. Kotz used statistics from the American Journal of public health which vouched for a reliable source that was accurate. The most dependable person Kotz used in her article was Sarah Brown. Brown is the chief executive officer of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. She helps with the studies of sex education and studies the outcomes of each one. I believe Kotz did a great job of using credibility to help convince her audience about most effective teachings of early sex …show more content…
Emotions from people who believe in abstinence are revealed in this article as they fight against teaching about contraception. For example, Kotz uses the words “crying foul” as describing the abstinence advocates. Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association, insist that “Any kind of assertion of blame is a disingenuous attempt to turn these statistics into a political agenda” (“A Debate About Teaching Abstinence”). Another emotional word that Kotz used in her article that caught my attention was the word fear as she was describing the feelings of experts on an anti-birth control message. There are many emotions in this article because of the different opinions and the fight between abstinence and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Quindlen remembers being taught at a young age that teenage pregnancy rates can lower just by learning basic information. However, she explains it is in the nature of teenagers to have sex to be accepted in today’s society. Teenage pregnancies are no longer a “shock factor” in these adolescent stages of life. Ultimately, Quindlen believes sex ed should be taught at home within families.…

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sex Education Dbq

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Gaining no education on how to have safe sex before marriage, these teens are left unguided, sometimes resulting in teen pregnancy. In source B, "Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S.", the graphs depict an uneasily high amount of teen pregnancies in regions where abstinence-only programs are practiced, in 2002-2005 72.2% of teenagers reported to have been pregnant due to not being taught about safe sex. These numbers are in normally high as compared to other countries such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands never going above 30%, and the U.S has done over twice that much. It shows the downfall of only being educated of only having sex until you are married. Not educating children on safe sex practices could lead to far more damaging outcomes than parents could think of such as teen pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted…

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sex Education in public schools has always been a widely debated topic in American History. Determining what information to give out and how old the children need to be is constantly being argued. However, many programs are only preaching abstinence, especially to young women. Young men on the other hand get the “condom talk.” Very little information about female contraceptives, physical or medicinal, is ever discussed in these sex education sessions. Rebecca Walker, in 1995, wrote that young women must be treated as growing, learning, individuals, and need information concerning “sex and access to birth control and abortion” in order to nurture their self-esteem and protect them from violence.[1] With limited access to information, women are being denied the ability to make a fully cognitive decision about their bodies.…

    • 914 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Carnal knowledge

    • 1245 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Soaring rates of sexually transmitted diseases among teens are adding urgency to the debate over sex education. Conservatives claim the alarming statistics illustrate why abstinence should be the single mantra when it comes to sex ed. Liberals counter that the increase in disease is the strongest case for more detailed information. Caught in the middle are America’s kids, who are more vulnerable than ever to potentially deadly diseases.…

    • 1245 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Abstinence-Only Education

    • 1464 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In recent years, the question of whether schools should teach abstinence only programs or comprehensive sex education has been debated rigorously. Through his 2013 published piece, “Educating for Character in the Sexual Domain”, author Thomas Lickona focuses on the benefits of abstinence only programs. He uses the argument that abstinence creates character in today’s youth and cites multiple sources that support his viewpoint. On the other side of the discussion, authors of the article “Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S.”, David Hall and Kathrin Stanger-Hall address the lack of efficiency abstinence only programs provide. Published in 2011, their article relies heavily on…

    • 1464 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Affordable Care Act aims to increase the quality and affordability of healthcare and has a goal to improve healthcare both technologically and clinically. One of the improvements includes the restoration of funding of abstinence education in the school system. The abstinence-only education has both pros and cons, but the main goal is to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Now that schools have adopted sex education programs, the next step is to guarantee that these programs remain effective and the pregnancy as well as the infection rates remain…

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Kristine Napier, the author of The Power of Abstinence, reports "the Campaign aims to create a national consensus that unwed teen pregnancy is not acceptable… how the Campaign hopes to accomplish its goal, however, remains unclear." She's is not sure whether it will "focus on contraceptive education and availability, or… acknowledge the legitimacy and success of the abstinence approach." (Napier) Teen pregnancy rates are at a historic high, and an alarming one-third of the twenty million annual reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases are junior-high and high- school students. These children have always been taught that abstinence is the best course, but they still choose to go out and participate in sexual activities. Their participation cannot be prevented, that has been proven. Teens, no matter how much abstinence is preached to them, will sometimes choose to have sex, and if they are uneducated on sexual safety and precautionary measures, the numbers mentioned above about teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases will continue to…

    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Comprehensive Sexual Education What has happened to today’s society that we are opposed to condoms because they might entice sex? When has allowing our youth to practice unsafe sex over safe sex been okay? We often think because we supply kids with condoms, birth control, and talks, that we are giving them permission to have sex, when in fact we are merely trying to protect them from STDs and pregnancy. We do not need to scare kids, but we do need to provide them with information about safe sex practices and what can happen if they do plan to explore their sexual urge. Facts are the most important thing we can offer those select few of youth who wish to engage in sex. Since when has providing information been a bad thing? Shouldn’t the youth know what they are doing and what can happen before they do it? Most schools and education environments that do encourage any sort of sexual education, teach kids to “just say no”. The one main problem with this “abstinence only” education is that it denies those who do say “yes” information, instead of providing other acceptable options other than abstinence. Throughout time, ratings have shown that teaching the abstinence only education doesn’t affect the rates at which teenagers decide to have sex. Though comprehensive sex education doesn’t stop kids from having sex, it does however teach them how to participate in safe sex. Teenagers in today’s society are not stupid. When they are told by teachers that abstinence is the only way that they will not get a STD, they know they are being lied to or misled. Giving teenagers’ information about the risks of different types of sexual behavior can help them make informed decisions about sex. The most effective programs are not the ones that try to divert teens from sex completely but rather the ones that try to steer teens away from dangerous sexual behaviors. Most teens who do not have the correct information on risky sexual behaviors veer away from vaginal intercourse, and…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Also there has been fifteen year drop in teen pregnancies and STDs, but it is not because of contraceptive sex education. “Meanwhile, a large body of research reveals the real key to reducing teen sexual irresponsibility: parents' willingness to discuss their sexual values with their kids. If schools did away with sex education classes and instead sponsored seminars to help parents become better sex educators at home, it's clear that teen pregnancies and STDs would decline” (Castleman). Parents are able to encourage safe sex with their children and sexual responsibility. Teenagers are more likely to listen to their parents than their teachers about sexual activity. Castleman also explains that the fifteen year drop in teen pregnancy and STDs is not because of either sex education classes but because of the parents. It is clear that parents are the only one able to get through to their children not expensive sex education programs. Programs should be developed where both parents and teenagers can attend so parents know what is being told to their children and teenagers can discuss what they have learned with their parents. With programs like this the parents and teenager can decide what is best for them whether it is abstinence or the promotion of safe sex. DeWitt quotes the Advocates of Youth, “This basic human right…

    • 1249 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Do you remember your first crush? How about the butterflies in your stomach every time they walked by? Wishing they would see you in hallway and maybe say hello. Every adolescent goes through this crucial period in his or her life. That is why middle schools and high schools in California need to teach Comprehensive Sex Education Programs. Comprehensive Sex Education provides complete, accurate, positive and developmentally appropriate information on human sexuality. Many teens are faced with questions about why their body is changing and why they feel as they do. Many parents are afraid to talk to their children about sex and their changing bodies. Leaving teens unaware of the consequences of sex. That is why I propose…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The government and schools must now step in and place more effective abstinence programs to ensure that students are bombarded by information on the negative effects of sex. As Timken High shows us, many states have pitiful curriculums that are currently set. It does not make any logical sense to keep inadequate courses in the schools if they do not work! I thought schools and the government were responsible for teaching students information that would help them succeed in modern society and make smart decisions. By keeping these ineffective programs, it sends an implied message that the educational bodies simply do not care. Instead of working to ensure the achievement of a goal, they are, in some respect, condoning premarital sex. Currently in the state of California, there is a required sexual education class that all high school students must take before graduating. The program in California as well as that in Ohio is relatively similar in many respects. While not yet proven to be ineffective, the situation in Ohio and Timken High should be enough to compel education directors to alter the current curriculum. With schools being such an integral part in students' lives, schools must become a front runner in the battle against high school pregnancies. It is definitely a bold charge, yet essential, for schools' are held accountable for doing what is best for their…

    • 734 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Abstinence or Abortion?

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages

    As a student who has gone through the Texas education system since the 6th grade, I found a Sex-Ed class to be nothing but informing. Studies have shown that students who have gone through a abstinence class that includes accurate information over contraception, relationships, STD’s and societal pressures have delayed having sex. This is one piece of evidence in my mind that shows how important a class of this topic really can be. In addition, one of the most overlooked factors over a…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people believed that abstinence- only programs are the only beneficial program to reduce the number of sexual activities in young adults. In Walcott, Chenneville, and Tarquini (2011) study, the Welfare Reform Act of 1996 funded $50 million over 5 years to states to educate students about being abstinence. The study actually showed that that abstinence-only programs had no different affect than any general health- promoting program. Also, the study showed that abstinence-only programs simply delayed sexual activities to those who have not initiated, but it did not provide the students with the knowledge to protect themselves from pregnancy and STDs (Walcott, Chenneville, and Tarquini, 2011). The program that actually had a positive impact in delaying sex, increasing condom usage, and reducing the number of partners were comprehensive sex education programs. These direct sex education programs combined both abstinence and condom. The researchers finding showed that comprehensive sex education developed a more positive attitude and stronger intention to have safe sex with college students that had a comprehensive sex education from K-12th grade. Comprehensive sex education program such as Get Real was able to get 16% fewer boys and 15% few girls from having sex by grade 8 compared to regular abstinence- only program (Grossman, 2014). A study done by Constantine (2015) used the Sexuality Education Initiative (SEI) to document the changes of the students’ ability to manage their sexuality before and after their comprehensive sex education. The SEI showed that students that had the comprehensive sex education showed a statistically significantly greater improvement than the students that received the abstinence-only education (control group) program (Constantine, 2015). Sex educators’ state that traditional…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Sex Education and Children

    • 2147 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The moral issues that were once acceptable are now at the mercy to the sexual revolution and the medical ramifications. “Adults have one foot in the Victorian era while kids are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic” complains pediatrician Karen Hein, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City (May 1993). She has seen her share of teens infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases pass through the hospital. “There’s something wrong,” sex educator Sol Gordon said, “with a country that says, sex is dirty, save it for someone you love” (May 1993). Children need to know birth control, safer sex and abstinence are choices. One message all the programs are trying to convey is for the children to learn what sex education is needed, and choose to wait. The moral issues of sex education and, we have the highest record of young people having sex in this country. There is one point everyone agrees in this debate that is going on is sex educations is…

    • 2147 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Normally all sex education programs include information about contraceptives. But now there are many types of programs. A new program is one that strongly supports the theory, “just say no”. It includes urging virginity pledges and only stating the failure rates of condoms and other contraceptives. Many of these programs take the failure rate out of context. They overemphasize the statistics and sometimes even use false data to help sway the student’s minds about contraceptives.…

    • 1204 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays