Provide Adolescents with a Proper Comprehensive Sex Education Program

Most sexual education programs are not being properly taught in our schools. Many of the programs in the school systems are:
-withholding health-promoting or lifesaving information about sexuality-related topics
-are medically inaccurate or have been scientifically shown to be ineffective
-promote gender or racial stereotypes
-are insensitive and unresponsive to the needs of certain youth, including survivors of sexual abuse or assault, sexually active youth, pregnant or parenting youth, or individuals with varying gender identities or sexual orientations
-are inconsistent with the ethical imperatives of medicine and public health

While growing up, adolescents are faced with the important decisions about sexual relationships and sexuality. The choices that they make during this time of their lives can impact their health and well-being for their future selves. Society has an obligation to prepare the youth for this time in their lives by providing them with a proper comprehensive sexual health education that can give them the tools necessary to make healthy decisions.

If passed the policy H.R.3602 the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2017 will amend the Public Health Service Act to revise requirements and eliminate prohibitions regarding the content of educational programs funded through the AIDS prevention program. It also would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow funding to be used for: (1) materials or programs that promote or encourage sexual activity, and (2) contraceptive distribution in schools. Lastly, this bill will amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to repeal the program for abstinence education.

The purposes of the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2017 are to provide young people with comprehensive sex education programs that
-promote and uphold the rights of young people to information in order to make healthy decisions about their sexual health
-provide the information and skills all young people need to make informed, responsible, and healthy decisions in order to become sexually healthy adults and have healthy relationships
-provide information about the prevention of unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, dating violence, sexual assault, bullying, and harassment
-provide resources and information on topics ranging from gender stereotyping and gender roles and stigma and socio-cultural influences surrounding sex and sexuality

The proposed policy, the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2017, supports the NASW Code of Ethics in many ways. By providing adolescents with a proper and advanced sexual education program, their well-being and quality of life is being promoted. This goes hand in hand with the NASW Code of Ethics standard 1.01 Commitment to Clients under the Social Workers' Ethical Responsibilities to Clients.