![]() ![]() States where sexual health and education is taught as "abstinence only" have the highest rates of teen pregnancy, abortion, sexually transmitted disease, and HIV.A clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics states that comprehensive sex education programs “have been proven to delay onset of sexual activity, reduce numbers of partners, increase condom and contraceptive use, and decrease incidence of teen pregnancy and STIs, including HIV.". ![]() A meta-analysis of multiple studies across three grant programs found that, overall, comprehensive sex education programs “significantly reduced risky sexual behaviors as measured by their pre-specified confirmatory outcomes.”.One large study of Latino adolescents indicated that in families with comfortable sexual communication, teens were less likely to be sexually active, and were older at first sexual activity than other adolescents.Research makes it very clear that talking to kids about sex makes them less susceptible to sexual abuse, and more likely to delay sex to later ages. You want to be the resource your child turns to when they have questions or worries. Remember that if discussion of sex is too uncomfortable in your family, your child’s takeaway will be that sex is shameful. In a society that exploits sexuality and reduces it from the sacred to the profane, helping children grow up sexually healthy can be challenging. Finally, we need to protect them from pornography and abuse by making sex something they know about and can come to us about. It means that we need to protect them as much as possible from the shame that surrounds sex in our culture. That means we need to teach kids consent, regardless of gender, so they can say NO and hear the No of others. We all want to raise children who grow up to take pleasure in their bodies and who are responsible in their sexual activities. A healthy body image includes a healthy sexual and gender identity. And of course, we all want our children to feel good about their bodies now, and to have a healthy sex life as adults. ![]()
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