A new national poll shows overwhelming support among parents for character-based abstinence education. The survey, which was released on Thursday, was conducted on behalf of the Coalition for Adolescent Sexual Health.
Dr. Janice Crouse, of The Beverly LaHaye Institute, who serves as a public spokeswoman for the coalition, said the survey was designed to determine what parents think about abstinence-centered sex education vs. comprehensive, or "safe-sex," education.
In its survey of more than 1,200 parents from across the country, Zogby International found that parents overwhelmingly support abstinence-centered sex education and oppose comprehensive sex education, which has an abstinence component but also promotes condom use.
"Parents adamantly object to the type of information contained in the comprehensive sex ed ... curricula that have traditionally been promoted by the federal Centers for Disease Control," Crouse said.
Specifically, the Zogby survey found that:
- By a nearly 5-to-1 margin, parents strongly approve of character-based "abstinence" sex education.
- By a 2-1/2 to 1 margin, parents disapprove or strongly disapprove of comprehensive sex education.
- By a nearly 6-to-1 margin, parents disapprove or strongly disapprove of the information contained in "safer-sex" curricula that have been promoted by the CDC.
The Zogby study was commissioned, Crouse said, because Congress is currently considering welfare reform legislation that includes funding for abstinence education, as well as annual appropriations bills that fund a variety of approaches to sex education and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and teen pregnancy.
Indeed, she said a number of pro-condom organizations seeking to eliminate federal support for character-based abstinence education are citing opinion polls that use carefully crafted questions to demonstrate public support for condom promotion.
"These previous findings have been relayed to the public as, 'This is scientific truth, this is something you can't disagree with because these are very solid scientific studies.' But when you start looking at those studies in depth, you find that there is a great deal of deception involved and there is misinterpretation involved," Crouse said. "Yet, anybody who disagrees with or opposes those studies is characterized as a fanatic or extremist."
Crouse added: "We went to the Zogby people and said, 'Look, we need something that is absolutely incontrovertible. We need something that people can know is — beyond any shadow of a doubt — reflective of what parents really think."
The Zogby survey showed parents the specific guidelines for condom-based sex education that are currently being distributed to schools by the Sex Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), Planned Parenthood and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
'Condoms do not protect'
"This study also says that we are doing an extreme injustice to our children and our teenagers by teaching them that condoms will protect them," Crouse said. "They are not protecting them, and as a consequence, we have children who are getting sexually transmitted diseases at unprecedented levels."
Back in the 1960s, Crouse said, there were only two widespread sexually transmitted diseases of concern to the medical community.
"Now, after some 20 years of teaching kids how to use condoms, we have 30 STDs, including HIV— the virus that causes AIDS," Cruse said. "Somehow, we have allowed these people to say to our children — 'Oh, just use a condom. You can't fight your hormones. Go ahead give in.' "
Worse, Crouse said most parents have never seen the guidelines for comprehensive sex ed.
"If parents only knew what was in those programs, and the kind of goals they have, parents would be absolutely appalled."
For example:
- Children ages 5 to 6 are taught that "it feels good to touch and rub your body."
- Children 9 to 12 are taught that homosexuality is just as satisfying as heterosexuality.
- Children 15 to 18 are taught that erotic photos will help enhance their sexual fantasies.
Crouse added: "I'm sorry if you're offended, but this is material that children — not adults — but children are being taught in schools."
The Funding Battle
Peter Brandt, director of issues response for Focus on the Family, which also is a member of the coalition, said the real battle now is over money — and the Zogby survey will be helpful in waging the funding battles that lie ahead.
"What we have ahead of us in the next couple of months are some pretty significant debates in Congress over the types of sex education that will taught in schoolrooms, and the funding that will be behind that," Brandt said. "There will be a battle before us."
Brandt said President Bush wants to give more money to programs — approximately $130 million — to programs that teach an unambiguous message that sex outside of marriage is wrong."
He said it is difficult to determine exactly how much taxpayer money goes to fund condom/"safe-sex" programs currently, but it is far more than goes to true abstinence education.
"The money to safe-sex programs come through so many programs and directions — perhaps as many as 18 different programs," Brandt said. "A General Accounting Office study in 1998 determined that — at minimum — about 219 million dollars went to 'safe-sex' programs aimed at teenagers. We think that if some of the other funding streams were to be examined, we would find that number to be substantially more."
Both Crouse and Brandt agree the Zogby results send a clear message.
"When it comes to sex education, parents want schools to undergird, not undermine, their values," Crouse said. "Specifically, they want schools to provide their children with messages that promote abstinence from sexual activity until marriage."
