FACTS Summary

SUMMARY : SIECUS REVIEW OF FACTS

The FACTS (Family Accountability Communicating Teen Sexuality) curricula provide incomplete and inaccurate medical information; present opinions and beliefs as universal truths; and portray a biased view of gender, marriage, family structure, sexual orientation, and pregnancy options. The format and underlying biases of the curricula do not allow for cultural, community, and individual values, and discourage critical thinking and discussion of alternative points of view in the classroom.

Ultimately, the FACTS curricula fall far short of meeting the needs of young people so that they may develop the skills and knowledge necessary to become sexually healthy adults.

Relying On Negative Messages

Messages of Fear and Shame

• “There are always risks associated with it [premarital sex] even dangerous life-threatening risks such as HIV/AIDS. Using contraceptive does not change this for teenagers.” (FACTS Middle School, Student Handbook, p. 50)
• The negative consequences of premarital sex include: “pregnancy, financial aspect of fatherhood, abortion, HIV/AIDS, STDs, guilt rejection, loss of reputation, inability to bond in the future, challenge to not compare future sexual partners, alienation from friends and family, poverty and the inabliltiy to complete school.” (FACTS Middle School, Teacher’s Edition, p. 110)
• The emotional consequence of premarital sex: “You know people talk about you behind your back because you’ve had sex with so many people. It so empty too (sic). Finally you get sick of it all and attempt suicide.” (FACTS Middle School, Teacher’s Edition, Appendix, p. 98)

This focus on consequences is clearly designed to scare students rather than educate them. There is no scientific evidence to support the assertion that premarital sexual intercourse leads to everything from an inability to bond in the future to alienation from friends and family. Forty-seven percent of all high school students have had sexual intercourse. It is inappropriate and potentially harmful for education programs to imply that these teens face an inevitably bleak future.

Distorting Information

Inaccurate Messages About STDs

• Emotional consequence of premarital sex: “Your partner finds out that you’ve had an STD; he or she feels uncomfortable with that and breaks up with you.” (FACTS Middle School, Teacher’s Edition, Appendix, p. 98)
• Emotional consequence of premarital sex: “You’ve seen the doctor numerous times and had many prescriptions, but you can’t seem to get rid of the STD you contracted in your last relationship.” (FACTS Middle School, Teacher’s Edition, Appendix, p. 98)

The curricula rely on exaggerated symptoms, messages of shame, and the suggestion that medical treatment might not work. This does little to inform students. It may, however, prevent them from seeking vital STD testing and treatment. Discouraging treatment is in direct conflict with the public health needs of our young people.

Exaggerating Condom Failure

• “There are many factors to consider with respect to condoms. First, look at the products themselves. After all, you’re asked by their promoters to entrust your life to them. Think on a microscopic level. Sperm cells, STD organisms, and HIV cannot be seen with the eye—you need a microscope. Any imperfections in the contraceptive not visible to the eye could allow sperm, STD, or HIV to pass through the latex.”
• Q: “Why teens don’t use contraceptives effectively.”
  A: “Fear that birth control will harm their health.; Ignorance, eg belief that it is safe to have intercourse standing up.; Little or no history of decision-making.; Not striving for upward mobility.”
• Emotional consequence of premarital sex: “You or your girlfriend started taking the pill so you wouldn’t have to worry about pregnancy, but you or she keep having bleeding problems. The doctor keeps change the presecriptions. You wonder how well it’s working if everything is so out of whack.” (FACTS Middle School, Teacher’s Edition, Appendix, p. 98)

FACTS’ discussion of condoms and contraception relies on exaggerated failure rates and suggests that teens are incapable of using any contraceptive method. This focus seems to be based on the illogical assumption that if young people believe contraception will not work, they will abstain from sexual intercourse. While such inaccurate information may discourage teens from using contraception this does not mean they will not have sex. Instead it means that they will be at increased risk for unintended pregnancy and STDs, including HIV, when they do become sexually active.

Promoting Biases

Fostering Gender Stereotypes

• Men may: “Become sexually aroused more easily.” “Focus on genital activity and intercourse as the goal.” “Use ’love’ to get sex, eg. Tell a girl he loves her, so she will do things sexually.” (FACTS Senior High, Student Handbook, p. 12)
• Women may: “Not become sexually aroused as easily.” “Focus more on sharing feelings.” “Use ‘sex’” to get ‘love,’ e.g. do something sexully to ‘hold on to’ the boy.” (FACTS Senior High, Student Handbook, p. 12)

The curricula reinforce societal myths and double standards that imply that young men are only interested in sex while young women only agree to have sex to get love. These messages place all of the responsibility for refusing sexual activity on the shoulders of young women and are detrimental to all students by limiting their options and coloring their expectations for future relationships.

Idealizing Marriage and Depicting Non-Traditional Families as Troubled

• “Since sexual feelings are strong, when a person has sexual intercourse he or she typically experiences ‘sexual bonding.’ This means the people feel mysteriously attached—since they have ‘given themselves fully’ to the other…Only marriage sustains this type of sexual relationship.” (FACTS Middle School, Teacher’s Edition, p. 72)
• “Children of divorce are 5 times as likely to be suspended from school; 3 times as likely to need psychological counseling; and they are absent from and late for school more.” (FACTS Senior High, Teacher’s Edition, p. 168)
• “The net impact of divorce on the partners affects not only them, but their children and society as a whole. There has been a tremendous overall negative effect on vast numbers of people because of divorce. (FACTS Senior High, Teacher’s Edition, p. 163)

This discussion seems to be meant to impress upon students the importance of getting married and selecting a marriage partner carefully. However, many students will likely think of their own families. It is unfair to put the burden of family structure on students who, as children, have no control over their current family situation. There are may reasons—including divorce, death, desertion, cohabitation, and gay and lesbian partnerships—that student may live in a family that does not match the ideal model espoused by FACTS. Suggesting that these young people will face a lifetime of difficulty will undoubtedly distress and alienate many students.

Discounting Gay and Lesbian Individuals

• “Homosexual: a persistent and predominant attraction of a sexual-genital nature to persons of one’s own sex.” (FACTS Middle School, Teacher’s Edition, p. 72)
• “Whether transmitted by genes or acquired through the environment sexual indentity is not fully established until the late teens or early twenties…. Young persons may sense affection and even infatuation for a member of the same sex. This is not the same thing as ‘being’ homosexual. Any same sex ‘sexual experimentation’ can be confusing to young persons and should be strongly discouraged.” (FACTS Middle School, Teacher’s Edition, p. 72)

The curricula consistently discount gay and lesbian students. All references to sexual activity and arousal within the curricula are specific to male-female couples and the focus on marriage ignores the fact that gays and lesbians cannot legally marry in this country. In addition, by defining sexual orientation exclusively in terms of genital activity and dismissing young people who are questioning their sexual orientation, the curricula perpetuate the stereotype that homosexual relationships are less valuable than heterosexual relationships and cannot be meaningful or committed. This is demeaning to all gays and lesbians and may be very confusing for students who are questioning their sexual orientations as well as those growing up with gay or lesbian parents, family members, or friends.

Mandating Decisions for Pregnant Teens

• “Conception, also known as fertilization, occurs when one sperm unites with one egg in the upper third of the fallopian tube. This is when life begins.” (FACTS Senior High, Student Handbook, p. 11)
• “At conception, the baby came into being. Even though he or she was only the size and appearance of a pencil dot, the baby was a separate, genetically unique individual.” (FACTS Senior High, Student Handbook, p. 11)
• “When we consider these realities, adoption appears to be a better all around decision for both mother and child.” (FACTS Middle School, Teacher’s Edition, p. 139)

It is not the place of education programs to mandate choices for students. Instead, students need unbiased information about the options they have, should they experience an unintended pregnancy as a teenager or an adult. It is then up to students to make choices consistent with their own values and the values of their families and communities. By presenting clearly biased and inaccurate information about abortion and adoption, FACTS does not allow individuals to make informed, personal decisions.