Was it still necessary to prove it? Education is better than repression. For the first time, a study clearly reveals the causal relationship between sex education and the number of teenage pregnancies.
The United States has had an ostrich policy for years when it comes to sex education. A 1996 law stated that only classes that promote abstinence would be funded by the government. A conservative system revised and corrected by the Obama administration. Since 2010, young American men and women in the ninth and second grade have been receiving programs “Responsibility education and prevention of teenage pregnancy, rich in information about sexuality, reproduction and contraception”specifies the site Slate†
And the results are compelling, as shown by the study, unveiled Feb. 14, conducted by Nicholas DE Mark and Lawrence L. Wu, two sociologists from New York University. The researchers’ conclusions are unequivocal: the use of prevention does indeed have a direct impact on reducing teenage pregnancies.
Since the passage of these two new laws in 2010, researchers estimate that these more progressive formations have led to an average 3% drop in teen pregnancies. The study is all the more impactful because the United States is the developed country where the number of young girls pregnancies is highest.
To obtain these results, the two sociologists analyzed data in fifty-five U.S. counties that received funds for these prevention courses. At the same time, they analyzed the birth certificates of babies born to mothers aged 14 to 19 in the regions. Finally, they compared this data with that of more than 2,800 counties that did not receive this funding. As a result, the teenage pregnancy rate would fall by 1.5% from the first year and to 7% five years later.
Proof that when it comes to sexuality, pedagogy is key.