The pregnancy of Bristol Palin, Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's soon-to-be-wed 17-year-old daughter, has caused AU students and faculty to scrutinize Palin's abstinence-only views regarding sex education in public schools.
Eleni Bakst, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, said she believes that abstinence-only sex education wastes an opportunity that could teach students about safe sex.
"It is absolutely ridiculous to expect high school students, especially seniors, to not think about having sex," she said. "Although we know that we can't prevent students from having sex, we can at least show them how to be safe about it."
Palin's support of abstinence-only sex education became clear in 2006 when she ran for governor of Alaska. CNN reported that while Palin took a survey during her gubernatorial campaign, members of the conservative group Eagle Forum Alaska asked her if she would back curriculum that involves contraceptives. She said she would not sponsor any such program.
Since Palin announced her daughter's pregnancy, she has not released any other statements regarding her views on the issue, according to CNN.
Michelle Sayles, a freshman in SPA, said she thinks if students learn how to use contraceptives, it will prevent them from acting impulsively.
"By having condoms or other sorts of preventive measures available, it kind of kills the incentive to engage in any reckless behavior," she said. "By teaching only about abstinence, students will want to rebel and have sex."
Erin Nunnally, a College of Arts and Sciences professor, said she believes sex education that teaches about birth control in addition to other forms of contraceptives can be used to help lower the number of teenage pregnancies.
"Naturally, the decision to be sexually active is a personal issue for each teenager," she said. "But if the ultimate goal is to reduce the number of teen pregnancies, it seems to me that a knowledge of a variety of birth control methods is essential."
Mathematica Policy Research Inc. recently released a survey that showed students who went to schools that had abstinence-only sex education were just as likely to have sex as students who were not.
The study of 2,000 children, conducted on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services, found that those who receive abstinence-only sex education had a similar number of partners and began having sex at a similar age as those who did not, ABC News reported.
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