The Harm of Catholic Insistence of Abstinence-Only Sexuality Education
Introduction
Perhaps few other topics consistently raise as much debate and controversy throughout school curriculums as sexuality education programs do. Since its arrival at the late nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century, sexuality education has experienced many changes throughout its history (Joannides). At the beginning of its career, the debate regarding sexuality education programs tended to focus on whether or not to even teach the topic in schools. Time has progressed since this original debate, which ultimately resulted in sexuality education being covered within part of schools' curriculums. However, today's current debate regarding sexuality education is no longer the same. Instead, the current debate addresses the type of sexuality education that should be taught throughout our country's educational systems.
While the United States is not the only country where sexuality education is a topic of constant debate throughout its society, it is a country where religious freedom and religious values tend to intertwine with many sexuality education curriculums across the nation. This is especially apparent for Christian-based, Roman Catholic schools and institutions. Often as a result of their religious beliefs and values, this form of private schooling, which can range from grade school until the university level, tends to implement abstinence-only education in order to uphold beliefs and values of the Christian faith throughout their students' education. However, as a result of the necessity to adhere to Christian doctrine while educating individuals, these people are left being required to be educated by sexuality curriculums that may not only be incorrect, but that may not discuss sexuality at all. As a result of this, there should be attention drawn to the ethical problems of these people being withheld from accurate and wide-ranging sexuality education, or even being provided with false sexuality education, as a result of the implementation of Catholic values and teachings.
Abstinence-Only vs. Comprehensive Sexuality Education
Two of the most commonly identified and debated approaches to sexuality education curriculum include abstinence-only sexuality education or comprehensive sexuality education. As their names imply, abstinence-only curriculums promote abstinence from sexual activity as the only acceptable option when it comes to sexuality education. While some of these programs may discuss forms of fertility control, they often exert their educational efforts primarily on failure rates of contraception, as well as use individuals' fears of STIs, diseases, and pregnancy to uphold the importance of abstaining from sexual activity. Comprehensive sexuality education curriculums discuss abstinence as one form of fertility control, yet will further educate students on the methods of contraception by discussing and encouraging their consistent use; this allows individuals to make their own decisions regarding their sexuality and understand the importance of engaging in safe sexual activity.
The Church's Beliefs and Values Regarding Sexuality and Sexuality Education
Pope John Paul VI's encyclical, Humanae vitae, reaffirmed the Catholic Church's view of marriage and matrimonial relations, as well as continued the denunciation of artificial birth control. Not only does this doctrine further assert the competency of the magisterium of the Church, but it uses this authority to then dictate what Catholic individuals' values should be when it comes to their sexual actions. According to the Church, marriage is much more than the union of two people. They represent a union with God, in which both individuals are considered to generate the matter for the body, while God is the one who creates the uniqueness of their combined souls, which comes to be one with this marital union. This document teaches that the creation of human life (i.e. sexual intercourse) is a very serious role that should not only take place within marriage, but that it should also only occur to retain the procreation of life.
The teachings and guidelines found within this doctrine then impacts those individuals who receive an education from some form of Catholic educational institute. Since the Church condemns the use of artificial contraception, and holds the belief that sexual intercourse is something that should only occur within a marriage in order to procreate, these values are then transferred through teaching and education. As a student of a Marianist Catholic university, as well as a friend of many people who have received a private, Catholic education for their entire student career, it is apparent as to how sexuality is taught through this form of education. The majority of these individuals received a sexuality education that not only promoted and heavily enforced the importance of abstinence-only education, but they were often limited or misinformed by the sexuality education they received. This is due to the Church's stance that sexual intercourse should only take place within a heterosexual marriage. Under these views, sex is not occurring outside of marriage, so why should there be any other form of sexuality education besides one that upholds abstinence?
So, What's the Problem?
However, we know this belief to not be the case, whether an individual is Catholic or not. Humans are sexual beings, and whether the Church chooses to acknowledge this or not, people will continue to have sexual intercourse. Especially outside of marriage. And this is where ethical problems tend to lie. Due to the Church's desired beliefs that sexual intercourse must only occur between a married man a woman, their abstinence-only teachings limit individuals to the realistic, and research-supported, risks of not only engaging in sexual intercourse, but unprotected sexual intercourse. Many individuals who receive an abstinence-only, Catholic sexuality education fail to be educated about the many forms of contraception, as well as how each form can help a person's sexual health.
In the United States, and has also been seen throughout several other different countries, the lack of a comprehensive sexuality education has contributed to earlier engagements in (vaginal) sexual intercourse, higher rates of teenage pregnancy, and higher rates of risks for a sexually transmitted infection (STI) (Kohler, Manhart, & Lafferty, 347-349). The lack of information and/or misinformation often provided through abstinent-only sexuality curriculums – which are heavily enforced by Catholic institutions – contributes to these trends in research. It also contributes to the ethical problem of presenting abstinent-only information simply because it supports and adheres to the Church's own values, instead of considering the well-being and health of all individuals. By not providing students with potential life-saving information (like how to apply a condom in order to prevent the transmission of STIs like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)), information regarding consent, as well as other information found within a comprehensive sexuality education, the Church is not only harming its believers, but those who are non-Catholic as well.
Take for example, a man named Bobby. He has extramarital, unprotected (vaginal) sexual intercourse with a woman named Betsy. (Bobby is already aware that he is not adhering to the Church's views when it comes to extramarital sexual intercourse.) He received a strict, abstinent-only sexuality education when he up through high school. Bobby is also HIV positive, but is not aware of his STI condition. As a result of his sexuality education, Bobby is unaware not only of his infection (since he never learned how to get tested for such a thing), but also of how forms of contraceptive can be used when engaging in sexual activity with Betsy. Since he never learned the information associated with having safe sex through a comprehensive sexuality education, Bobby figures that it is not necessary when engaging in sexual intercourse with extramarital partners. Betsy then discovers that she has become HIV positive, and the only individual that she has had sex with was Bobby. The accurate and informative sexuality education that Bobby did not receive from his abstinence-only education through his Catholic schooling not only contributed to him having unprotected sexual intercourse as an HIV positive man, but now Betsy has been harmed too. Bobby's lack of a comprehensive sexuality education has contributed to the spread of this STI, and has forever changed the life of Betsy. If Bobby had known not only how to get tested for STIs, but how to also ensure that the virus could be prevented from spreading through the use of condoms, there would have been decreased risk of harm to Betsy.
This example is a very real representation of the result of receiving an abstinence-only education. Abstinence as a form of fertility control only works until it does not. Without the proper education and information in regards to sexuality education, those individuals are only further causing possible harm to others due to their adherence to their Catholic beliefs. A person would think that the well-being of all individuals' health would be of a greater concern to the Church and its commitment to its beliefs and values than would be the importance of upholding the affirmations made within Humanae vitae.
Moving Forward for the Benefit of All
While the Church may view that individuals should not be engaging within extramarital sexual intercourse, this expectation is unrealistic. According to the National Survey of Adolescents and Young Adults, 60% of adolescents and young adults state that delaying sex "may be a 'nice idea'" but "nobody really does" (Hoff, Greene, and Davis, 3). Additionally, this same survey also reported that of the adolescents and young adults that were surveyed, 67% had had sexual intercourse at the time of the survey (Hoff, Greene, and Davis, 14). And this percentage only came from people ranging from 15 to 24 years of age. Taking this into consideration, it can be reasonable to conclude that the majority of individuals in today's society have engaged in sexual intercourse before getting married – no matter whether they adhered to their religious beliefs or not.
In order to prevent further harm from abstinence-only education, as well as taking into consideration the realistic notion that people, more often than not, have sexual intercourse before marriage, factually correct comprehensive sexual education should be installed in all forms of schooling, whether that be public or private, religious or non-religious, institutions. This form of sexuality education should be a required part of schools' educational curriculums, and it should also be broad in the extent of its educational material. Topics such as sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, relationships, consent, human anatomy and reproduction, disease and pregnancy prevention, and even sexual pleasure should be covered to ensure a variety of information is provided to individuals. What they decide to do with that information is then up to them to decide, but by being informed and educated about sexuality can help to ensure to the well-being and sexual health of all individuals. If people choose to engage in promiscuous sexual activities, then at least they know how to not only protect themselves and others, but they can take pleasure in their activities knowing that there is no risk of harm being inflicted on another individual.
As Elliston noted in "In Defense of Promiscuity," engaging in promiscuous sex is okay as long as it is not harming others. Sex is pleasurable, and it not just a bodily experience; it allows us to develop higher capacities when it comes to engaging in sexual intercourse. He also states that sex communicates our attitudes, desires, discouragements, etc. when we engage in it. By being comprehensively educated in sexuality, our sexual experiences can only build in this communication skill. In addition, less harm could stem from the ability and experience of understanding the body language of those we choose to engage in sexual activities with. For example, by learning about consent and what sexual violence looks like through a comprehensive sexuality education, individuals would be more able to communicate their desired sexual activities, as well as their non-desired activities. This could ultimately contribute to lower instances of issues such as rape and domestic violence.
Following Your Own Conscience and Pursuing Your Own Good
It is important to note that not all Catholic individuals adhere to the teachings and doctrines produced by the Church, especially when it comes to extramarital sexual activities and use of contraception. After the release of Humanae vitae, many Catholics did not do anything with it afterwards. Many continued abiding to their own Christian values and beliefs regardless of what the Pope announced as what "true" Catholics should not do when it came to contraception and abortion. This provides some evidence for the belief that while the Church may have the power and ability to dictate what its followers should do when it comes to their sexual actions, ultimately, individuals will continue adhering to their own values that they have established for themselves. This is because safe sex and a factually correct sexuality education is greater for their well-being, as well as others' well-being, than is adhering to the rules of the Catholic doctrine. Also, the Church's context and respective teachings and values have changed before throughout its history, so it would be beneficial for them to change now by advocating against abstinence-only education.
Each individual believes they have the autonomy to follow their own conscience, and they pursue what they deem as good as they see fit. So, if a Catholic individual were to believe that comprehensive sexuality education is good for them and others, then they are one step ahead of the hierarchy of the Church. These individuals should be the ones to act towards the installment and acceptance of comprehensive sexuality education in all educational institutions.
Conclusion
Individuals need to know the information that is provided through a comprehensive sexuality education in order to lead full and healthy sexual lives. Sexuality education should not be framed in a manner that upholds only abstinence, and it should instead help people learn to become healthy adults, whether they engage in extramarital sexual intercourse or not. Comprehensive sexuality education is not only about teaching forms of contraception. Its curriculum covers a wide range of sexuality topics that are ingrained throughout all aspects of our society.
When it comes to Catholicism, it already contains all that is needed for comprehensive and sexuality-positive education. Catholic individuals can take the teachings they have received from the Church on making moral decisions about their lives and on respect and human dignity, and then apply it to whenever they engage in sexual intercourse – whether that be within marriage or not. The Church may behind when it comes to its teaching on sex, but it is also sitting on important future teachings that they could provide for a more realistic, healthy, and positive outlook on sexuality. Time will tell as to when the Church update itself from its old teaching, and respond to the needs and desires of all people. For now, it is up to those Catholic individuals who already are following their consciences when it comes to healthy sexual activities. As time progresses, they will be the ones leading the way towards the Church's acceptance of comprehensive sexuality education.