The Federal Abstinence Education . The purpose of this legislation is to provide states with federal funds to develop abstinence-only educational programs. Because of the limited content of abstinence-only education, this legislation has the potential to seriously cripple efforts to prevent teenage pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV in adolescents. It is an undeniable fact that many teenagers are sexually active. This finding makes clear the need to provide children and adolescents with ageappropriate comprehensive sexuality education to assist them in making informed healthy decisions.
Sexuality education falls into three general categories.
Each type emphasizes the benefits of postponing sexual intercourse, but they differ in relation to the amount of information that is given and its presentation format. Only curricula teach that abstinence is the single acceptable option for unmarried persons. They exclude all mention of contraception and safe sex methods. Abstinence-Based programs provide education on contraception and safer sex, in addition to abstinence messages. The third category is Comprehensive Sexuality Education.