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Going Too Far? Sex, Sin and Social Policy Author(S): Susan Rose Source: Social Forces, Vol

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Going Too Far? Sex, Sin and Social Policy Author(S): Susan Rose Source: Social Forces, Vol Going Too Far? Sex, Sin and Social Policy Author(s): Susan Rose Source: Social Forces, Vol. 84, No. 2 (Dec., 2005), pp. 1207-1232 Published by: Oxford University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3598496 Accessed: 21-07-2015 13:14 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Oxford University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Social Forces. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 128.122.149.145 on Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:14:59 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions GoingToo Far? Sex, Sin and Social Policy SusanRose, Dickinson College Abstract This paper examines the impact of the ReligiousRight on Americansocial policy as it relates to family, sexuality and reproductivehealth. The articlefocuses on the current debates and practices of abstinence-until-marriageprograms vs. comprehensivesex educationprograms - and the waysin whichthey reflect and affectcultural attitudes about sexuality, teenagers,parents and rights. The manuscript is based on comparative fieldwork, includingparticipant observationsin schools and interviewsin the United States and Denmark with teenagers,teachers and sexuality educators.We question whetherit is sex educationthat goes toofar in promotingearly and promiscuous sex or the ReligiousRight in attemptingto censorvital informationand servicesfromyoungpeople. Whatif Iwant to havesex outsideof marriage? I guess you'lljust haveto be preparedto die. - No Second Chance The UnitedStates leads the industrializedworld in teen pregnancy,abortion and sexually- transmitteddisease rates- andin legislatingand funding abstinence-until-marriage programs as socialpolicy. It also standsout as the onlyindustrialized country still embroiled in a debate aboutwhether creationism should be taughtin publicschools. These issues helpreveal the dynamicinterplay between religion and politics in the UnitedStates. In examining the roleand power of conservativereligious groups in shapingdomestic and foreignpolicy, this paper focuses on the issues of reproductiveand sexual health,education and family- and the impactthey haveon youngpeople. Inorder to illuminatethe culturaland political-economicfactors that informdebates and social policyconcerning sexuality and gender in the UnitedStates, this study presents a comparativeanalysis of Danishand U.S.approaches to familyplanning, reproductive health andsexuality education. This analysis of youngpeople, their teachers, sex educatorsand sex ed materialsin the UnitedStates and Denmarkrepresents more than a yearof ethnographic fieldworkand participant-observationin Roskilde, Denmark and centralPennsylvania.' The case of Denmarkis informativebecause the ratesof teen pregnancyand attitudestowards sexuality50 years ago were not muchdifferent than those in the UnitedStates. Since the 1970s, however,Denmark has takena muchmore pragmatic approach to teen sexualityand sex education.Although Danish and American teens tend to havesimilar patterns of sexual debutand activity,Danish teens have muchlower rates of teenage pregnancy,abortion and sexuallytransmitted diseases (STDs).For example, in 1995,there were 61 birthsper 1,000 females between the ages of 15-19in the UnitedStates, and only nine in Denmark(Feijoo 2001; Singhand Darroch2000).Today, the dominantDanish discourse about sexuality and reproductiverights is strikinglydifferent from the dominantdiscourse in the UnitedStates - not because Danesare by natureor nationality"just more open" about sex and Americans "justnaturally more prudish" - rather,the debates oversexuality and reproductiverights and responsibilityare rooted in different religious, political, economic and community orientations. Directcorrespondence to Susan Rose, Department of Sociology,Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA 17013.E-mail: [email protected]. ? The Universityof NorthCarolina Press SocialForces, Volume 84, Number2, December2005 This content downloaded from 128.122.149.145 on Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:14:59 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 1208 * SocialForces Volume 84, Number2 * December2005 Abstinence-Until-Marriage Programs in the United States Since 1996, nearly$1 billionin state andfederal funding has been allocatedfor abstinence- only educationdespite a lack of evidence supportingthe effectiveness of this approach (Hauser2004; Kirby[1997] 2000; Manloveet al. 2004; "NewStudies" 2005; "SexEducation" 2002; "WaxmanReport" 2004). Underthe Bushadministration, abstinence-only programs have expandedrapidly. While $170 millionin federalfunds have been slated for FY2005, PresidentBush has allocatedan additional$39 millionfor abstinence-until-married education programs,bringing the total requestfor FY2006 to $205.5 million.This representsa 50 percentincrease in funding since 2004 ("NewStudies" 2005; Yoder 2005). Despitethe decliningteen pregnancyrates during the 1990s,34 percentof teenage girls get pregnantat least once beforethey reachage 20, resultingin morethan 850,000 teen pregnanciesa year- the vast majorityof whichare unintended. At this level,the UnitedStates has the highestrate of teen pregnancyin the fullyindustrialized world. Roughly 9 millionnew STIsalso occuramong teenagers and young adults in the UnitedStates annually(Children's DefenseFund 2004; Henshaw2004; "NewStudies" 2005). By law, abstinence-only programs must haveas their"exclusive purpose, teaching the social,psychological and healthgains to be realizedby abstaining from sexual activity." While this is a desirableoption for young people, it is also problematicfor many.By promoting abstinence-only education that omits complete, medicallyaccurate information, U.S. policy ignores research, public opinion and the experience of othercountries about what actually works to preventteenage pregnancyand STIs. The WaxmanReport (December 2004), which examinedschool-based sex education curricula,concluded that many young people are receiving medically inaccurate or misleading information,often in direct contradiction to the findingsof governmentscientists. Since 1999, severalmillion children ages 9 to 18 haveparticipated in the morethan 100 federally-funded abstinenceprograms. After reviewing the 13 most commonlyused curricula,Congressman Waxman'sstaff concluded that two of the curriculawere accuratebut 11 others,used by 69 organizationsin 25 states, contain unprovedclaims, subjectiveconclusions or outright falsehoodsregarding reproductive health, gender traits and when lifebegins (Connolly 2004; see also "TexasTeens Increased Sex AfterAbstinence Program" 2005; Waxman 2004). InMay 2002, the Houseof Representativespassed H.R.473, the PersonalResponsibility, Workand FamilyProtection Bill, which renewed funding of abstinence-onlyprograms at the level of $50 milliona yearfor the next five years.While there was oppositionto the billby many, includingRep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.)who argued that "abstinenceprograms are exaggeratingthe failurerate of condoms"and using "terrortechniques to keepteens from havingsex," the billpassed by a vote of 229-197with committeeRepublicans arguing that "itwould be impossibleto agreeon whatinformation is medicallyaccurate." Americans Teaching Fear Inabstinence-until-marriage materials, sex is often equatedwith death, disease and danger; fearsurfaces as the primarymessage andtactic used to persuadeyoung people to steerclear of sex beforeor outsideof marriage.The abstinence-only video, "No Second Chance,"used for middle-schoolSex Respectaudiences, juxtaposes discussions of havingsex outsideof marriagewith images of men dyingfrom AIDS. In "No Second Chance,"an evangelicalsex educatorcompares sex outsideof marriage- notto the all-Americangame of baseball- but to playingRussian Roulette. She tells a classroomof youngpeople that: "Every time you have sex, it's likepulling the trigger- the onlydifference is, in RussianRoulette, you onlyhave one in six chances of gettingkilled." When one boy asks, "whatif I havesex beforemarriage?" This content downloaded from 128.122.149.145 on Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:14:59 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Sex,Sin and SocialPolicy ? 1209 he is told, "Well,I guess you'lljust haveto be preparedto die. Andyou'll probably take with you yourspouse and one or moreof yourchildren." James Dobson'sorganization, Focus on the Family,distributes "No Second Chance"and its companion,"Sex, Lies, and the Truth." Bothhave been widelyused in publicas well as Christian,schools throughoutthe United States (Kantor1994; Mast 1983; "TeachingFear" 1996). According to the organization's website (1999-2005),"Sex Respect" is now beingused in 50 states and23 countries. Founderand presidentof the NationalAbstinence Clearing House in SiouxFalls, South Dakota,Leslie Unruh uses snakesto teach aboutSTDs and the dangersof usingcondoms. 'Asshe uncoilsher nest of rubbervipers: Herbie Herpes, Wally Wart, Hester Hepatitis, Albert AIDS,Lucy Loss of Reputation- and don'tforget - poorPregnant Peggy Sue, she tellsyoung peopleabout the risksof sex beforemarriage." (Sternberg 2002) "Condoms," she says, "are overrated.'We tell them condoms won't protectyour heart,that
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