Sexual Health Education: A Necessity, Not a Debate
Written By: Zoe Waters
Date: August 18, 2025
Kenny Eliason via UnsplashSexual health education in the United States remains optional rather than essential, even though it’s intimately tied to public health, consent culture, and personal safety. The sex education landscape is rife with fragmentation - curriculums vary drastically not just state to state, but district to district. According to ReproFund NH, of the 38 states and Washington, D.C. that mandate sex or HIV education, only 18 require that the content be medically accurate, while 29 stress abstinence as the preferred option. This isn’t just a policy issue. It’s a public health crisis unfolding in classrooms - public, private, charter, and even in college.
In sex ed policy, “medically accurate” means that the information is verified by scientific research, recognized medical organizations like the CDC, and updated when new evidence emerges. Shockingly, less than half of the states that require sex ed meet this standard, meaning some students are taught misinformation, outdated myths, or religiously motivated distortions. In extreme cases, this has meant being told condoms don’t work, birth control causes infertility, or HIV can be transmitted through casual contact, all of which are false and dangerous.
Without federal standards, sex ed in the U.S. is a patchwork quilt. Some vibrant, some threadbare. Abstinence-only curricula continue to receive funding and dominate in conservative regions, despite overwhelming evidence that they fail to delay sexual activity or reduce unintended pregnancies and STI rates. In some areas, even increasing them.
Globally, take the Netherlands, a country that introduces comprehensive, age-appropriate sex ed early, covering not just biology but also consent, relationships, and even pleasure. The result? Lower teen pregnancy rates, fewer STIs, and healthier, more informed teens. 2.5 teens per thousand in the Netherlands become teen parents versus 13.1 teens per thousand in the US. That’s a stark difference.
“2.5 teens per thousand in the Netherlands become teen parents versus 13.1 teens per thousand in the US.”
Gaps in sex ed show up starkly in health outcomes. Teens in states with abstinence-only programs often face higher rates of unintended pregnancies and STIs. There’s a ripple effect: poor consent education fuels dysfunction in relationships and contributes to sexual violence. Those most hurt are from low-income, rural, and queer communities, who often lack access to inclusive, accurate curricula. This leaves lifelong scars on their health and well-being.
Too often, sex ed is reduced to diagrams and mechanics. Comprehensive curricula, by contrast, teach consent, emotional literacy, gender identity, and healthy relationships. Inclusion of pleasure, or even a plain, realistic discussion of sex, is nearly nonexistent in many programs. This omission reinforces shame and the idea that sex is inherently risky or immoral, particularly for women and LGBTQ+ youth.
Talking about sex has always ignited disagreements instead of healthy discussion. From the sexual revolution backlash of the 1970s to modern-day laws that censor LGBTQ+ discussion, sex ed continues to be a political hot potato. California’s Healthy Youth Act (CHYA) illustrates this tension. Passed in 2016, it mandates comprehensive, medically accurate, inclusive sex and HIV education at least once in middle school and once in high school. Yet, in California’s Central Valley, many districts still struggle to teach topics like abortion and LGBTQ+ relationships, the lack of information fueled by resistance and outdated attitudes.
Comprehensive sex education isn’t just about preventing pregnancy or STIs. It’s about equipping young people with the knowledge, confidence, and resources to make informed decisions about their bodies and relationships. I know this firsthand. Growing up in Iowa, I watched our school’s sex ed curriculum be gutted right before my grade was supposed to take it. We missed out entirely, and the consequences were clear: my class ended up with more pregnant students than the grades above or below us who had received sex ed. That experience showed me the cost of withholding information.
We can change that by mandating inclusive, medically accurate curricula in every school, regardless of zip code, and pairing it with access to confidential healthcare services. When we invest in early, honest, and shame-free conversations about sexuality, we give the next generation the tools we were denied and we break the cycle of preventable harm.
Sexual health education is more than policy, it’s a human right and a public health intervention. When delivered well, it empowers young people to make informed decisions, foster healthy relationships, and build safer futures. We can’t allow fear or silence to shroud what should be essential knowledge. It’s time to demand every student deserves accurate, inclusive, real-world sex ed.
Written by: Zoe Waters
About the author: Zoe Waters is a social justice and public health practitioner with over eight years of experience advancing equity through coalition-building, policy, and community-centered strategies that address health disparities and drive systems-level change.
Tags: Sex Ed, Curriculum, Government
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