Education regarding sexual behavior for adolecences is an ongoing, controversial, and complex issue in terms of federal funding. Abstinence-only education (AOE) is federally funded program designed to inform communities of the social, physiological, and health gains from abstaining from sexual activity. For the past thirty-five years, federal funding has allocated millions of dollars to the education of abstinence. This proves to be a major issue in modern societies because the majority of the population engages in sexual activity from a young age, regardless of the foundation of education students are provided regarding reproduction and making healthy sexual choices. While AOE programs are funded at large, unfortunately, comprehensive sex education receives no federal funding.

Primarily, the main issue in funding abstinence-only programs is demonstrated through the biased and heteronormative lens it is taught through. AOE programs emphasize the understanding that women are thought to be pure, to cover up because they are sexualized, and the message it sends of teaching youth populations that heterosexual sex is the standard. Further, AOE programs disproportionately affect marginalized identities and are not inclusive of LGBTQ+ communities. The United States government funds abstinence-only programs to "keep children safe," when in reality it is cutting their education short. Additionally, abstinence-only programs inform youth communities across the United States sex outside of marriage leads to STDs and other associated health problems, it is likely to have psychological and physical effects, and the standard for sexual activity is that you are expected to sustain from sex. Ultimately, AOE programs deny individuals the opportunity of an unbiased education and fail to maintain ethical responsibility by denying populations the right to a well-rounded education in terms of sexuality. The impact of AOE programs across the nation demonstrates the "ineffectiveness" and leads to no change in the rate of STD transmission and unwanted pregnancy. 

The federal government has the power to do something about the lack of education regarding our populations sexual education. Federal funding for comprehensive sex education (CSE) programs can properly educate the public by using all-inclusive, unbiased information to teach individuals how to make informed sexual decisions. CSE covers topics surrounding human development, romantic relationships, sexual communication and decision-making skills, sexual behavior and health, and accurate cultural representations of sexuality and gender. Additionally, CSE programs offer medically accurate, LGBTQ+ inclusive, and modern perspectives of sexuality in the hopes of newer generations making healthy reproductive choices, overall creating a non-homophobic culture and further expanding the public perspective on gender norms. 

Abstinence-only programs neglect normal youth sexual desires and create unhealthy environments for young people to explore their sexuality. The program is entirely based on an outdated system, following heteronormative understandings of sex. With this petition, I ask that federal funding of abstinence-only programs to stop, and switched to a comprehensive sexual education program. I intend for all adolescents nationwide to be given the opportunity to become educated on safe-sex practices  through the use of CSE, leading to the ability to make make informed decisions based on accurate information.