Sex education laws and policies

Abstract

Sex education laws and policies are important in facilitating or blocking efforts to provide adolescents with sexuality education and information. Legislation in developing and industrialized countries concerns both sexuality education in schools and adolescents' access to information on contraception and abortion. Although laws and policies vary, the trend is to remove laws restricting sex education and information and to promote the flow of reproductive health information for adolescents. The integration of sex education with programs that provide contraceptive services offers the promise of preventing unwanted pregnancy in adolescents, with its all too frequent tragic health and social consequences.

PIP: Sex education laws and policies are important in facilitating or blocking efforts to provide adolesents with sexuality education and information. It is important that the process of education go forward for health reasons, if for no other. Legislation in developing and industrialized countries concerns both sexuality education in schools and adolescents' access to information on contraception and abortion. A factual presentation about sexual matters, including contraception and other important health-related subjects, is simply an honest attempt to provide young people with essential information and to instill knowledge and create understanding about their own health needs. Reproductive health education is a necessary step toward resolving the health, social, economic and demographic problems that surround the phenomena of early sexuality, pregnancy and childbearing. One of the real difficulties to be faced in the context of sex education is persuading authorities to change the policies that regulate curriculum content. The appropriateness of course content is always determined by local mores and cultural views. Even as laws and policies vary, the trend is to remove laws restricting sex education and information and to promote the flow of reproductive health information for adolescents. Many of the laws and policies encourage and sometimes require, the involvement of parents. This can only enhance the reasonableness of the design of materials. Prevention of early and unwanted pregnancy in adolescents, with its all too frequent tragic consequences, would make an enormous contribution to health, not to mention social conditions, in developing and industrialized countries alike. A cornerstone of effective reproductive health education is legislation to assure the free flow of information on contraception, human relationships, and sexuality. Laws and policies can do much to promote successful sexuality education programs in schools. They can encourage the spread of information throgh counseling centers, the press, and in commercial advertising and display of contraceptives. All of this, despite loud voices to the contrary, can help to provide responsible solutions to the pressing problems associated with adolescent sexuality and fertility.