1. Family Life Education:
Which Road to Take?
© 2002 International Educational Foundation
IEF is responsible for the content of this presentation only
if it has not been altered from the original.
© IEF 1

2. Social Response —
Family Life Education
© IEF 2

3. Two Models of
Family Life Education
 Characterbased
Contraceptivebased
© IEF 3

4. Sexual Norm for
Adolescents
Character–
Based
Contraceptive–
Based
No sexual
relations until
marriage
Sexual relations
by mutual
consent
 Use
protection
© IEF 4

5. Appeal
Character–
Based
Contraceptive–
Based
Character–
building
Expedient
 Supports
parents’
values
 Tolerates
diverse values
© IEF 5

6. Educators and Guidance
Character–
Based
Contraceptive–
Based
Morally
directive
Non–directive
 Youth
receptive
to abstinence
 Teenage
sexual activity
inevitable
© IEF 6

7. Contraceptives
Character–
Based
Contraceptive–
Based
Not promoted
Promoted
 Undermines
abstinence
 Effective
protection
© IEF 7

8. Meaning of Sexual
Abstinence
Character–
Based
Contraceptive–
Based
No genital
activity
Sexual relations
short of
intercourse
© IEF 8

9. Educators’ Role Towards
Parents
Character–
Based
Contraceptive–
Based
Supports
parental
authority
Support youth
privacy
© IEF 9

10. Contraceptive–Based
Education— Dubious
Effectiveness
 Minimal improvements
based on small samples
 50% of studies show no
impact
Source:
A. Gruenheit, Impact of HIV
and Sexual Health Education,
UNAIDS, 1997
© IEF 10

11. High Condom Failure Rate
Against Pregnancy
13-27% failure rate
for adolescent
Source: Jones & Forest,
Family
Planning
Perspectives,
Jan/Feb 1992
© IEF 11

12. Risk of Pregnancy vs.
Risk of Venereal Disease
Pregnancy
Risk
 Woman only
 60 days per
year
 Unwanted
birth
Disease Risk
 Both woman
and man
 365 days a
year
 Death
possible
© IEF 12

13. Condom Ineffective in
Preventing HIV
23% spouses of AIDS patients
became infected
 Despite consistent condom use
Source: M.D.C. Guimaraes, et al., American
Journal of Epidemiology, v. 142,
1995
© IEF 13

14. Do Sex Educators
Themselves Trust
Condoms?
“I asked [800 sex educators] if they
knew that a person carried the [HIV]
virus, would they have sex, depending
on a condom for protection? No one
raised their hand.”
Source: Dr. Theresa Crenshaw, past president of the American Society of
Sex Educators and Therapists, and member of the Presidential
AIDS Commission
© IEF 14

15. Condom Promotion Gives
False Sense of Security
Removes youth natural
reservations about
premarital sex
Fear of
AIDS and
STDs
Fear of
Pregnancy
Worry about
Parents’
Disapproval
Source: Louis Harris, American Teens Speak, 1986
© IEF 15

16. Prevention Addresses
Risky Behavior
Cause
Teenage
Teenage
Teenage
Premarital
Premarital
Premarital
Sex
Sex
Sex
Teenage
Teenage
Pregnancy Sexual
Diseases
Effect
© IEF 16

17. Contraceptive–Based Education
Linked to Increased Sexual
Activity
 50% increase among 14year-olds
Source: Deborah Ann Dawson, ‘Effects of Sex Education on
Adolescent Behavior,”
Family Planning Perspectives,Jul/Aug 1986
 Greater probability among
girls
aged 15-17
© IEF 17

18. Character–Based
Education Focuses on
Reducing the Cause
Teenage
Teenage
Teenage
Premarital
Premarital
Premarital
Sex
Sex
Sex
Teenage
Teenage
Pregnancy Sexual
Diseases
© IEF 18

19. Public Health Benefits of
Character–Based Sex
Education
Abstinence Education
Reduction in Sexual
Activity
Reduction in Teenage
Pregnancies & Sexual
Diseases
© IEF 19

20. Help Parents
Protect Their Children
Regulate exposure
to media
Discipline effectively
Encourage
schoolwork
© IEF 20

21. Contraceptive–Based
Education Lacks Guidance
 Attempts to be value-neutral
 Allows students to set their own
standards
© IEF 21

22. Abstinence Demands
Knowledge and Skills
Character-based education
provides support needed to
achieve the healthy norm
© IEF 22

23. Character–Based
Education Supports the
Majority of Youth
 Majority of
American
teenagers are
virgins
 Many non–virgins
want support to
postpone
sexual activity
© IEF 23

24. Contraceptive Instruction
and Pro-Abstinence
Message Do Not Mix
No
Premarital
Sex
“ Safer”
Premarital
Sex
Abstinence
Standard Lost
© IEF 24

25. Balanced Condom Policy
 Promote marriage as the
only safe context for sex
 Publicize limitations of
condoms
 Target high–risk adults
for condom promotion
© IEF 25

26. Factors Linked to
Preventing Sexual Activity
 Self-motivation
 Academic ambition
 Parental supervision
 Abstinent friends
 No substance abuse
Source: Lawrence E. Kay, MD,
“Adolescent Sexual Intercourse,”
Postgraduate Medicine, June,
1995
© IEF
26