Abstinence-Only Sex Ed And Systemic Racism

In this week's episode, Kaylee and Jen do a deep dive into sex ed policy around the United States. First, Kaylee covers the variations of rules for sex ed content on a state-by-state level. Then, we go through the history of abstinence-only sex ed funding in the US, particularly looking at the Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA), Title V of the Social Security Act, and Community Based Abstinence Education (CBAE). After covering these federal grants, Kaylee makes the case that abstinence-only sex education perpetuates systemic racism in the US. 

You can get involved to fight against systemic racism in sex education by asking your representatives to support the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act and the Youth Access to Sexual Health Services Act, or by donating to the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US (SIECUS).

Sources:

• Sex ed content in states
• Abstinence-only sex ed funding
• Impacts of abstinence-only sex ed through Title V
• UNAIDS/WHO evaluation
• Redlining
• Public school funding
• Funding amounts for white vs nonwhite schools
• Study – Abstinence-Only Education Fails African American Youth
• Pregnancy rates in Black and Hispanic women
• Teen pregnancy and graduation rates