| SIECUS CURRICULUM REVIEWPassion & PrinciplesA Fear-Based Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Curriculum | |
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Passion & Principles is a fear-based, abstinence-only-until-marriage curriculum that was designed to be compliant with the federal definition of abstinence education (see box) that was first released with the advent of the Title V Welfare Reform funding stream. The curriculum is distributed by an organization of the same name which is run by Karie Hughes, an abstinence-only-until-marriage speaker. The organization's website explains the curriculum's origins by saying, “i n 1997 a grant was received by the AZ Department of Health and Human Services for Abstinence until Marriage education. As an established leader and innovator in the abstinence education field a faith-based and public school curriculum for training the trainer have been developed which meets the Title V guidelines: A-H compliant.”1 SIECUS reviewed the public school version, which came packaged with a Leader's Guide, multiple copies of the student workbook, a DVD, and various props, including a squeezable heart and fuzzy dice. The program is divided into five sessions: “Safe Sex vs. Save Sex,” “Myth-information,” “Passion Without Principles,” “Infatuation or True Love?,” and “The P.L.A.N.” The student workbook is 30 pages long and consists primarily of fill-in-the blank activities where students add one or two words to mostly complete sentences. The age of the intended audience is not clear: in some places the Leader's Guide refers to activities for junior high school students while elsewhere it discusses more mature audiences and at least one activity suggests that participants might be as old as 17. ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 58) SIECUS' curricula reviews are based on the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education, K-12 which were developed by a task force of professionals from the fields of education, medicine, youth services, and sexuality education. The Guidelines are a framework for comprehensive sexuality education programs and represent a consensus about the necessary components of such programs. The Guidelines include 39 topics important to sexual health. Abstinence is a critical topic to discuss with adolescents, and is included as a key topic area in the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education. The Guidelines include a number of age-appropriate messages about abstinence for students such as: “Young teenagers are not mature enough for a sexual relationship that includes intercourse”; and “Abstinence from intercourse has benefits for teenagers.” 2
Abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula typically contain limited information about topics related to human sexuality such as puberty, anatomy, human reproduction, sexual orientation, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Passion & Principles is unique in that it contains almost no information at all. The curriculum includes a few scattered facts about STDs and an appendix provides a paragraph about each of several common STDs. Aside from this incomplete and often inaccurate information, the program focuses exclusively on the inevitable negative consequences of premarital sex and the need for sexual purity. Furthermore, the entire curriculum relies on fear and shame and provides biased and often religiously based messages about marriage and pregnancy options. NOT APPROPRIATE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS SIECUS purchased the secular version of Passion & Purity which is intended for use in public schools as well as out-of-school programs funded with both state and federal grants. While the authors seem to have made attempts to rid the student workbook of religious messages, clearly religious material remains in the Leader's Guide and subtle religious undertones appear throughout. The religious undertones are clear even from the acknowledgment page which ends with “most of all, we stand in awe, with thanksgiving to the true Author who made of all (sic) this possible!” The references section shows that many of the sources used to create this program are religious in nature, such as an article from the Christian Answers Network and a book published by Here's Life Publishers. In Session 5, the authors claim to have relied on I Kissed Dating Good-bye by Joshua Harris. In this book, Harris explains that his life improved, “when I stopped viewing girls as potential girlfriends and started treating them as sisters in Christ, I discovered the richness of true friendship. When I stopped worrying about who I was going to marry and began to trust God's timing, I uncovered the incredible potential of serving God as a single.”3 Other materials come from radical right evangelical groups such as the Family Research Council or religious organizations such as True Love Waits, a program of the Southern Baptist Convention. It is not appropriate for an education program in a public school to rely on religious organizations or promote materials which are religious in nature and written from a purely Christian perspective. The curriculum also passes this perspective on to students and teachers. It tells students that one of the most important reasons for saving sex for marriage is “to PROTECT you from emotional, physical, and spiritual scars.” ( Passion & Principles, workbook, p. 3) Later, teachers are told to “Focus on the fact that sex is designed for BABIES and BONDING. It's NOT a SPORT. Emotional scars of hurt, distrust, jealousy & ultimately, betrayal. You must teach the students that sex is the glue that ultimately links them to someone for the rest of their lives within a biblical marriage relationship.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 26) In fact at least two pages of the Leader's Guide contain biblical quotes. A copy of page 2 of the student workbook appears in the Leader's Guide with the following quote printed so lightly it almost appears as a watermark: “‘The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good your whole body will be full of light.' Matthew 6.22” A second reference to the Bible appears when page 3 of the student workbook is reprinted in the Leader's Guide however it is so light that on our copy we were only able to discern that it had come from John 10.10. Although these watermarks are absent from the student workbook, in one instance text was blacked out in an apparent attempt to rid it of religious content. A quote in the Leader's Guide explains, “pornography, like sin, promises to please me and serve me BUT it's only desire is to enslave and dominate.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 50) In the student workbook, however, the phrase “like sin” has been blacked out using a magic marker although it is still easily read. It takes more than black marker and light ink to make a clearly religious program appropriate for public schools or public funds. We live in a pluralistic society that is founded on the separation of church and state, and this program, which remains patently religious in nature, violates these values. RELYING ON NEGATIVE MESSAGES Formal sexuality education offered in schools, community centers, or churches often represents the only opportunity that young people have to learn facts about sexuality and explore values regarding sexual activity. The messages they receive in these programs contribute to their sexual health not only as adolescents, but also as adults. Rather than present a balanced, complete picture of both abstinence and sexual activity, Passion & Principles employs negative, fear-based messages, tries to instill shame and guilt, portrays sexual behavior as an uncontrollable forces, and relies on potentially harmful virginity pledges. Messages of Fear — Portraying sex as inevitably harmful The curriculum repeatedly uses the phrase “safe sex vs. save sex” and tells young people that “SAFE SEX IS A LIE!” ( Passion & Principles, workbook, p. 2) It suggests that young people should “know the consequences that will affect you if you compromise sexually before marriage.” ( Passion & Principles, workbook, session two) In a fill-in-the-blank exercise, students are told that premarital sex tricks your mind, robs your peace and purity, and causes natural physical consequences ( Passion & Principles, workbook, p. 8). The same page encourages students to compare “your consequences with each other [if you have sex before marriage] vs. the consequence if you wait.” The answers suggest:
An activity in Session 3 “Passion Without Principles” uses a game played with fuzzy dice to “represents that sex before marriage is like gambling.” The Leader's Guide explains that “every number on the die represents a risk some are willing to take. This illustrated that SEX before Marriage will cost!” Rolling a one indicates that life goals are sidetracked, and the curriculum uses the following example to illustrate this possibility: “if their goal is to become an architect, for example, everything could change with the decision to have sex before marriage.” If a student rolls a four he or she contracted AIDS, and the Leader is instructed to say, “you're heading to the grave. No cure.” Rolling a five indicates emotional scars, which the curriculum describes as the most inevitable consequence: “Ask the students, ‘Not everyone gets a number #2 [pregnancy] or a #4 [AIDS] but does everyone get a # 5?' Answer: Yes!” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, 34) Finally, rolling a six means that other people become involved because, “if someone engages in sexual activity it will affect those who care the most about them...parents, favorite aunt, a coach or a teacher.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 34) There is no evidence that sex outside of marriage inevitably leads to physical, emotional, and spiritual scars and suggesting that it will is clearly designed to scare students rather than educate them. Passion & Principles's reliance on fear extends to a rather lengthy discussion of pornography. The Leader's Guide explains that “teens must understand that pornography not only destroys relationships between men and women, but actually changes brain chemistry, creating a dependence as powerful as an addiction to cocaine.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 50) Students are told that “pornography is specifically designed to help you entertain lustful thoughts.” ( Passions & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 50) And a fill-in-the-blank activity teaches students that “pornography is enticing and addictive” and that “pornography promises to please me and serve me BUT it's only desire is to enslave and dominate.” ( Passion & Principles, workbook, p. 18) According to the curriculum, Internet pornography is particular dangerous. The Leader's guide quotes Dr. Robert Weiss, Director of the Sexual Recovery Institute in Los Angeles as saying Again, this presentation is clearly designed to scare students rather than inform them. In addition, given that the age of students in the program is unknown, it remains questionable whether the focus on pornography is age appropriate. Messages of Shame —Instilling embarrassment and guilt. Passion & Principles tells students that they need to “realize that sex is a gift to be saved and only given to the one who is committed to honor, cherish and share life with you in a marriage relationship.” ( Passion & Principles, workbook, session two) In one activity the teacher is told to hold a beautifully wrapped gift box which represent a “paradigm shift from sex being a sport or a game to sex being a gift.” Teachers are told that they are giving students the “…the courage and self-esteem to take control of their most precious gift.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 24) And students are told that “you must “SAVE IT, PROTECT IT, KEEP IT': your sexuality until marriage. ( Passions & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 24) The curriculum relies on stories from teens who regret their decisions to become sexually active or give away this gift. One story explains that “I lost my virginity when I was a mere 15 years old. I thought everything was great. I had been dating this guy for 1 year then ‘it' happened. Now, two years later, I'm 17 and I look back and realize how young I was and how dumb I feel to have given such a precious gift away at such a young age.” ( Passion & Principles, workbook, p. 6) On the flip side, one quoted student says, “it's incredible how many times I've been tempted to a risky situation, but now I know I'm special. I have decided to wait ‘till marriage so I can give my husband the best gift of all!” ( Passion & Principles, workbook, p. 7) Stories such as these set up a dichotomy between those who wait to have sex until they are married who are portrayed as virtuous and good, and those who do not who are portrayed as flawed and unhealthy. The curriculum implies that students who have had sex have “put people, places, and things 1 st in my life over my beliefs, values and goals.” ( Passion & Principles, workbook, p. 3) An activity encourages students to compare consequence of “comprising by having sex before marriage” vs. “the consequences if you wait.” The answers suggest those who have sex will “Lose respect, purity, and virginity” whereas those who wait will gain honor. ( Passion & Principles, workbook, p. 8) Sexual purity is a theme that recurs throughout the program. Students are told that “sexual self control is purity in your mind, heart, body.” ( Passion & Principles, workbook, p. 2) According to the curriculum “your virginity is a precious part of sexual purity.” ( Passion & Principles, workbook, p. 6) Clearly the implication is that those who have sex are no longer pure in mind, heart, or body. Students are encouraged to explore the difference between “losing your virginity and losing your purity?” Some sample answers include: “Losing your virginity is regarding your body. It's a physical state, whereas losing your purity is a spiritual and mental boundary that may be crossed with the physical action of having sex.” Amy, age 17 “The difference between losing your virginity or losing you purity is that once you've had sex you lose both but once you lose your purity you've lost your innocence. You cannot regain your virginity you can get purity again.” Kaley, age 15 ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, 24) The constant comparison of sexually active students to their abstinent peers is clearly designed to instill guilt and shame. This is more likely to alienate sexually active students than motivate them to avoid those sexual behaviors that put them at risk for STDs and unintended pregnancy. It is important to remember that 47% of all high school students and 61% of high school seniors have engaged in sexual activity, and it is therefore likely that some of Passion & Principles's participants will be sexually active.4 It is unfair and inappropriate to imply that these teens are impure or lack self-control and that others should lose respect for them. Yet, the curriculum reinforces this notion by suggesting that sexually active young people are a bad influence. To demonstrate this idea, the teacher is told to have a student stand on a chair and explain that this student is abstinent and that “I'm representing one of your sexually active friends, going to clubs, movies, music promoting a risky lifestyle.” The teacher grabs the student's hand and asks him to “pull me up to your standard.” Once it becomes clear that he can't, the teacher gently pulls the student down. While this is actually a demonstration of the laws of gravity, the curriculum intends it to illustrate how negative influences can be strong. Once again, the curriculum targets sexually active students as morally bankrupt. The curriculum does offer an alternative for those who have been sexually active by suggesting secondary virginity which it describes as “…renewing your mind, heart and body with truths and doing a 180 turn around with you life in regards to your sexuality.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 24) Students who have had sex, however, are warned, “your heart will never be perfect…there will be scars from the choices that were made BUT you're worth waiting for!” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 24) These messages of shame are underscored through experiential activities. An activity called “the wedding skit,” suggests that “every time you choose to have SEX before marriage, you give a piece of yourself away.” ( Passion & Principles, workbook, p. 7) The skit follows two students, Suzie Q and Johnnie Boy through several relationships in high school and college. The students who agree to play these characters receive a paper heart. Suzie's story starts with her meeting a new guy at school “they date and are ‘going out.' This leads to a little ‘messing around' and eventually Ted and Suzie go too far. Suzie has given her virginity to Ted and has lost her purity.” To indicate this, the student playing Suzie tears off a piece of her heart and the student playing Ted goes to sit in the “bed of memories.” Suzie loses two more pieces of her heart before meeting Johnnie Boy as a psychology major in college. Johnnie Boy has lost pieces of his heart as well to Mary Ann, Marsha Mustang, and Sarah, all of whom end up sitting in the bed of memories. After graduation, he studies Computerized Auto Mechanics, and meets Suzie at a lecture on the “Psychology of Auto Mechanics.” She quickly realizes that he is the “man of her dreams,” and he knows she is “the girl he's been waiting for.” The skits ends when, “the big day arrives. Ceremony is beautiful. And now everyone has gone home. They are alone together in the honeymoon suite. Now, it is time to exchange your hearts. They give each other their broken paper hearts.” The students playing the two of them are asked how they feel about the broken hearts and the bed of memories. ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, Appendix B) The curriculum routinely assumes that the decision to become sexually active is one born out of low self-esteem, a lack of self-control, and inherent character flaws, and that all young people who have been sexually active are damaged. While it is possible that some teens may have had negative experiences with sexual behavior, instilling guilt does nothing to help them cope with such experiences. It is also possible that sexually active teens have had consensual, safe, and protected sexual experiences for which they feel neither guilt nor shame. Suggesting that they should feel bad can only serve to produce emotional distress where there was none. It also worth noting that all of the quotes from students who regret their sexual experience, as well as the sample answers about sexual purity, seem to come from female students. By including only these quotes, the curriculum is subtly reinforcing stereotypes that demand virginity and purity from young women but do not hold young men to the same standards. In fact, one quote attributed to a college student suggests that women have the responsibility to help men avoid sex: “I feel so horrible that I participated in sex. I'm supposed to be helping him & lifting him up. I think that I did the opposite; not only did I bring him down I brought myself down even further.” ( Passion & Principles, workbook, p. 7) Taking responsibility for sexual behavior should not fall exclusively on young women. Instead young people need to know that all partners have the right and the responsibility to make sexual decisions. Sexual Arousal— Describing sex as an uncontrollable force After telling students that sexual behaviors leads to inevitable physical, emotional, and spiritual problems and that sexually active young people should feel shame, Passion & Principles describes sex as a force out of young people's control. It explains that “a physical downward spiral happens once one starts engaging in sexual activities.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 40) The workbook has students fill in the following activities in order: holding hands, hugging, intensive kissing, sexual activity, and sex. ( Passion & Principles, workbook, p. 18) Teachers are told to discuss intensive kissing by asking, “can this be a turn on where one would be headed right down the slide?” The answer is yes. “Sexual Activity” is described this way, “that's where some question their virginity because technically they're a virgin. They've done everything but ‘go all the way'. Stress how they lost their purity and still are in high risk for a STD.” And finally, “the last step is ‘Sex'. You're virginity is lost.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 40). In addition to depicting sexual arousal as an uncontrollable force, this discussion lumps all behaviors other than kissing and intercourse under the ambiguous term “sexual activity,” and suggests that all of these activities have the potential to rob young people of their purity and spread STDs. Obviously, the second half of this sentiment is not true as this broad category could include such entirely safe behavior as massage or masturbation in front of a partner. By being so vague, the authors are missing an important opportunity to discuss the level of risk associated with various sexual behaviors such as oral sex. In fact, oral sex is a growing concern for health educators because recent research shows that teenagers are not aware of the risk for STD transmission risks involved in this behavior.5 Instead of providing this information, the curriculum communicates “the importance of staying far away from physical relationships ...” and provides students with an analogy of a water slide: “once you sit down in the water with a line of people behind you can you decide to turn around? A: Yes, but it's harder because of the pressure ‘just go!'. Now you're heading down the water slide can you STOP. A: No, it's too late. You're heading down to the bottom and rather quickly.” Passion & Principles warns students that believing “I have the will power to stop” is “wrong thinking.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 40) This is perhaps the most dangerous message teens can be given about sexual activity: by suggesting that teens have no control over their actions, it actually discourages them from making wise sexual decisions and taking responsibility for their actions. Young people need to know that at any point in a relationship, and at any point during sexual activity, they have the right and the ability to set their own sexual boundaries and that it is their responsibility to do so. Virginity Pledges - Asking students to promise purity Like many other abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula, Passion and Principles includes a virginity pledge at the end of the program. The Leader's Guide explains that “since 1994 the True Love Waits movement has been active across the United States, thousands of teenagers are choosing abstinence until marriage…By signing the Save Sex for Your Mate card they are acknowledging to themselves, others, those they date and their future mate to remain sexually pure until their wedding day.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 60) True Love Waits is sponsored by LifeWay Christian Resources, an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention. 15 Its pledge reads: “Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my friends, my future mate, and my future children to a lifetime of purity including sexual abstinence from this day until the day I enter a biblical marriage relationship.” 16 It is unclear whether this is the pledge Passion & Principles is asking young people to sign as the commitment cards referred to were not included in the curriculum package SIECUS received. Although the exact wording is unknown, teachers are told to pass out commitment cards to every student, read the words together, and encourage students to sign the card and keep it in their wallet. The Leader's Guide points to recent research on virginity pledges and inaccurately suggests that these promises are beneficial to teens. In truth, the studies indicated that under some circumstances, pledgers did delay sexual activity for an average of 18 months longer than their peers who had not pledged.6 However, pledges only worked in situations where a limited number of students participated. Pledges taken by an entire class were not effective. More importantly, pledgers were less likely to use contraception when they did become sexually active and were equally likely to become infected with an STD as their non-pledging peers. In addition, pledgers who remained “virgins” (did not engage in vaginal intercourse) were more likely to have engaged in oral and anal sex than non-pledging “virgins.”7 Contrary to Passion & Principle's suggestion, virginity pledges are clearly not an answer to the problems of teen pregnancy and STD transmission. In addition, having youth pledge abstinence until marriage is not appropriate for all teens. Young people who are gay or lesbian cannot legally marry in this country.8 Asking them to pledge to a lifetime of abstinence is unfair and unrealistic. Like their heterosexual peers, these teens need viable and effective methods of preventing disease and Passion & Principles fails to provide these. DISTORTING INFORMATION Passion & Principles contains almost no information about topics related to sexuality such as puberty, reproduction, or contraception. The curriculum includes a few scattered facts about STDs and condoms and a 3-page appendix that includes a paragraph about each of several common STDs. The information is rarely cited to sources and much of it is inaccurate and misleading. Sexually Transmitted Diseases — Misleading students Passion & Principles's discussion of STDs is incomplete, inaccurate, and potentially misleading to students. For example, the Appendix explains AIDS very briefly, in part by saying, “the causative agent, I-UV, is transmitted by body fluids such as blood and semen.” ( Passions & Principles, Leader's Guide, Appendix A) It is unclear what the authors are referring to when using the term I-UV. The medically accepted explanation is that HIV (human immodeficiency virus) cases AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). The curriculum goes on to contradict itself in its various explanations of how Chlamydia is spread. The appendix states that Chlamydia is “contracted only by intercourse,” whereas a card used for an STD activity discusses “skin to skin transmittal.” Neither of these explanations are accurate. Chlamydia is present in vaginal or cervical secretions and semen and can be transmitted through oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse. The curriculum's explanation of Chlamydia is equally misleading. It describes the disease by saying “its primary site of infection is a woman's uterus, tubes and ovaries. This can cause sterility and/or abdominal pain.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, Appendix A ) This explanation is inaccurate in several ways and the authors seem to confuse Chlamydia with Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). Chlamydia initially infects a women's cervix and urethra. If untreated, Chlamydia can move to the uterus, tubes, and ovaries and can cause PID, an infection of the pelvic area that, if untreated, can lead to infertility.9 The curriculum's discussion, however, fails to explain that Chlamydia can be treated before it becomes PID and that PID can be treated before it leads to infertility. As such, it misses the important opportunity to emphasize the need for testing and treatment. The explanation of HPV is similarly misleading: “HPV—Human Papilloma Virus, better known as genital warts. Once you get this disease you have it for life. It causes cervical cancer.” According to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the majority of HPV infections resolve themselves spontaneously and do not lead to any long term consequences. The report explains: “while infection with high-risk types [of HPV] appears to be ‘necessary' for the development of cervical cancer, it is not ‘sufficient' because cancer does not develop in the vast majority of women with HPV infection.”10 Passion & Principles also never explains the importance of routine gynecological exams and Pap smears which screen for pre-cancerous cells on the cervix. The CDC estimates that approximately half of the cases of cervical cancer that occur each year will occur in women who have never had a Pap test and an additional 10% will occur in women who were not screened in the last five years.11 Finally, the curriculum relies on fear rather than information. In an activity that suggests premarital sex is like gambling, the curriculum says of AIDS, “you're heading to the grave. No cure.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 34) Passion & Principles would better serve students by providing a detailed, and accurate, explanation of how STDs are transmitted, the importance of testing, and where young people can go for treatment. Condoms and Contraception — Discouraging use Passion & Principles provides very little information on condoms and no information on other forms of contraception. When discussed, the curriculum exaggerates failure by suggesting that condoms do not adequately protect teens against pregnancy, provide no protection against STDs and cannot protect one's heart. Condoms as Pregnancy Prevention The curriculum begins its brief discussion on condoms by saying that “it has been taught and is generally understood that condoms are 100% effective in preventing pregnancy and in protecting both partners from contracting an STD. This is not true! …We're exposing the lie so many students have believed for years.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 10) In a question and answer session, the curriculum says: “What about pregnancy? Are Condoms safe for pregnancy? A: One in 5 times condoms will fail for pregnancy.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 10) Suggesting that condoms have a 20% failure rate is simply untrue; even when looking at typical use, condoms have a failure rate of only 14%. To fully understand condom effectiveness, students must understand the difference between method failure and user failure . Method failure refers to failure that results from a defect in the product. Method failure of the male condom is very rare and is estimated to occur in only three percent of couples using condoms consistently and correctly during the first year of use. In truth, condom failure is usually caused by errors in use, most often the failure of couples to use a condom during every act of sexual intercourse. It is, therefore, important to look at the data on typical use or user failure. User failure is calculated by looking at 100 couples who use condoms as their primary method of birth control over the course of a year. About 14 of these couples will experience an unintended pregnancy during the first year.12 It is important to remember that these couples may not have been using a condom or may have been using a condom incorrectly during the act of intercourse that resulted in an unintended pregnancy. To further put this in perspective, it helps to look at other contraceptive methods. For example, 26% of women using periodic abstinence as a method of birth control will experience an unintended pregnancy within the first year as will 85% of those using no method.13 Condoms as Disease Prevention The curriculum goes on to suggest that condoms do not protect against various STDs. In particular, it states that condoms offer little protection or no protection against Chlamydia, HPV, and AIDS. The curriculum's assertion that condoms do not protect against Chlamydia seems to be based on its inaccurate explanation of how this disease is spread: “CONDOMS provide little or no protection due to the skin to skin transmittal.” ( Passion & Principles, STD cards) cite In truth, the CDC explains that “ gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and trichomoniasis are termed discharge diseases because they are sexually transmitted by genital secretions, such as semen or vaginal fluids.” The CDC goes on to say that latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly can reduce the risk of transmission of these discharge diseases.14 The curriculum's suggestion that condoms provide no protection from HPV is similarly false. A new report by CDC explains that while condoms cannot provide complete protection from HPV because infections may occur on sites not covered by a condom, they remain an important prevention tool. The report explains that “laboratory studies have demonstrated that latex condoms provide an essentially impermeable barrier to particles the size of HPV” and that “studies of HPV infection in men demonstrate that most HPV infections are located on parts of the penis that would be covered by a condom.”15 In addition, the use of latex condoms has been associated with a reduction of HPV-associated diseases such as cervical cancer.16 Passion & Principles also says that “nearly 1 in 3 will contract AIDS from infected partner with 100% condom use.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 12) This statement is not cited to any specific sources, and, in fact, this statement directly contradicts the available research. A number of studies have been conducted with sero-discordant couples—couples in which one partner is HIV positive and the other is not. In a 2-year study of discordant couples in Europe, among 124 couples who reported consistent use of latex condoms, none of the uninfected partners became infected.17 The CDC explains that “the body of research on the effectiveness of latex condoms in preventing sexual transmission of HIV is both comprehensive and conclusive. In fact, the ability of latex condoms to prevent transmission of HIV has been scientifically established in ‘real-life' studies of sexually active couples as well as in laboratory studies.”18 Undermining Confidence The inclusion of such blatant inaccuracies combined with additional comments made throughout the curriculum proves that the goal is not to educate young people but to undermine their confidence in condoms. The curriculum repeatedly states that condoms cannot protect young people's hearts—a task they were not designed to do. The Leader's Guide also states that, “not every condom is tested for holes.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 12) Obviously this is true because testing a condom renders it unsuitable for future use. This does not mean, however, that condoms have holes or go untested. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates manufacturers who sell condoms in the United States. As a quality assurance step, condom manufacturers sample each lot of finished packaged condoms and examine them for holes using a water leak test. FDA recognizes domestic and international standards that specify that the rate of sampled condoms failing the water leak test must be less than one in 400 for each manufactured lot of condoms. Intact condoms (those that pass the water leak test) are essentially impermeable to particles the size of STD pathogens.19 Passion & Principles goes on to say that condoms leak, break, and slip off during use. Although this is certainly possible, it is rare and most often the result of incorrect use. According to a study in Consumer Reports, “with correct use, a condom will break as little as 2 percent of the time, authorities believe, and will slip off as little as 1 percent of the time.” 20 Finally, the authors focus on climate control “every box has a ‘climate control' warning. The ranges vary not to exceed 100 degrees. Talk about where young adults usually keep these stored…i.e. wallet, glove compartment, or back pocket. End with ‘How safe is that?'” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 10) Storing condoms in a wallet or a glove compartment constitutes incorrect use and can be unsafe. Instead of suggesting that this means that condoms are inherently unsafe, Passion & Principles would better serve students by explain correct condom storage and use. Finally, the Leader's Guide inaccurately suggests that making condoms available to young people will increase the likelihood of sexual activity and teen pregnancy. It cites a study written by the far-right organization, Family Research Council. Legitimate research in peer-reviewed journals has shown that condom availability programs do not lead to an increase in sexual activity. A study comparing New York City public high schools that had a condom availability program to similar public high schools in Chicago that did not have such a program found that condom availability does not increase rates of sexual activity but does have a positive impact on condom use.21 A more recent study found that sexually active participants in schools with condom availability programs were more likely to use contraception at last intercourse than sexually active participants in schools without condom availability programs.22 It is unconscionable for an education program to provide students with inaccurate information in an attempt to control their behavior. The curriculum's coverage of condoms seems to be based on unsound logic suggesting that if young people believe condoms do not work they will not engage in sexual behavior. Telling students that condoms don't work will not stop them from having sexual intercourse. It may, however, stop them from using condoms when they do become sexually active, thereby putting them at increased risk for STDs and unintended pregnancy. PROMOTING BIASES According to the Guidelines, one of the main goals of sexuality education is to provide an opportunity for young people to question, explore, and assess their own and their community's attitudes about sexuality. This can help young people understand their family's values, develop their own values, and improve critical-thinking skills. Rather than providing this important opportunity, however, Passion & Principles promotes specific viewpoints about marriage and pregnancy options. The Marriage Mandate— Promoting one lifestyle Throughout the curriculum, Passions & Principles discusses sexual behavior and abstinence exclusively in terms of marital status with the clear message that any sexual activity outside of marriage is morally wrong, as well as physically and emotionally dangerous. Teachers are told, “you must teach the students that sex is the glue that ultimately links them to someone for the rest of their lives within a biblical marriage relationship.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 26) Although many people may agree with the curriculum's assertion that sexual activity is only appropriate within marriage and that marriage is the ideal relationship, these are not universally held values. In fact, studies have shown that fewer than seven percent of men and 20% of women ages 18 to 59 were virgins when they married.23 It is not appropriate for an education program to mandate choices for young people. Nonetheless, the curriculum suggests that teachers “put the emphasis on the importance of the marriage vows and the commitment made by having the students respond to the following:
To further convince students of the importance of marriage, they are told, “once you enter into the committed marriage relationship…you will experience the most wonderful, beautiful, dynamic, exciting, intimate relationship for the rest of your life.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 8) Passions & Principles tries to sell young people on the idea of marriage by explaining, under the heading of medical facts, that “marriage helps to make one more stable and able to leave parents' home and create a self-sufficient, self-reliant household; married people live longer and generally are more emotionally and physically healthy than their unmarried partners; [and] married people appear to have a calming influence in their lives…” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 28) In addition to assuming that all students will marry, statements such as these imply that unmarried individuals are somehow less self-sufficient, stable, or emotionally healthy. There are over 93 million adults in the United States who are classified as single because they have never married or are separated, widowed, or divorced.24 It is inappropriate for an education program to suggest that these individuals are inferior to their married peers. The curriculum's singular focus on marriage as the ultimate goal also underscores the fact that it is written exclusively for heterosexual students. The authors seem to assume that that all students in the class, or all people in the world for that matter, are heterosexual. Throughout the curriculum all stories and activities refer to male-female couples, and it is assumed that all students desire to marry. Passions & Principles never acknowledges that some students may be gay and lesbian and that these students cannot legally marry in this country.25 In one activity, the teacher uses students to create a human time line, “an activity to visualize just how short the time span towards abstinence is in view of their entire life.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 8) Four students are picked to represent birth, death, puberty, and marriage. (The student representing death wears a black robe while the student representing marriage puts on a veil or top hat and carries a gift box.) With the help of the class, the teacher places the students in order with relative gaps, putting marriage at approximately age 25, and then stands between puberty and marriage emphasizing the importance of having “sexual self control during this short time in their life; it's choosing abstinence until marriage.” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 8) Gay or lesbian students in the class, however, are essentially being told that they will never be able to engage in sexual activity. This is an unrealistic expectation and is likely to alienate these students rather than provide them with realistic strategies for understanding their sexuality. Although it is important to help young people explore possible future relationships, Passion & Principles does so in a limited and directive way that presents marriage as the only appropriate way of life and suggests that individuals who choose otherwise are making the wrong decision for themselves and society. Again, it is not the place of education programs to mandate choices for students. Pregnancy Options— Mandating choices Passion & Principles also shows clear biases when discussing pregnancy option. The curriculum tells students that young women facing an unintended pregnancy can choose between the “3 A's,” “Abortion, Adoption, Acceptance (All-your-life single parenting).” ( Passions & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 34) The curriculum says nothing else about single parenting. In contrast, it presents a positive view of adoption, “adoption is an option because now there's open adoption. You can have contact by letters, pictures or visits. It's as open as the birth mom and the adoptive couple agree.” ( Passions & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 34) The curriculum says very little about abortion except that “an abortion takes place every 20 seconds 4,400 day; 40 million since legalization in 1973.” ( Passions & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 34) Language used throughout the curriculum, however, suggests an anti-choice bias. In its discussion on adoption, for example, the curriculum says “It's a choice for life!” ( Passion & Principles, Leader's Guide, p. 34) In the first session, an activity designed to tell young people how special they are, divides students into teams to answer the following questions (answers are in bold):
( Passion & Principles, Guidebook, p. 6) The curriculum and organization is affiliated with other anti-abortion forces. Passion & Principles and its founder Karie Hughes are affiliated with the crisis pregnancy centers of Greater Phoenix. Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are community-based organizations set up to assist young pregnant women. Most crisis pregnancy centers have an anti-abortion agenda, and many have ties to religious organizations. In addition, some crisis pregnancy centers are not honest about their stance on abortion. In addition, SIECUS purchased our copy of the curriculum through Heritage House '76, an organization and website “committed to the sanctity of life at all stages and to the traditional values of the institution we call the family…Due to the unstable and uncertain times our world offers we are dedicated to serve the Pro-Life movement with solid and unchanging convictions of the heart. These convictions help to make us leaders in meeting the needs of Pro-Life and Pro-Family organizations by providing quality materials, at the best prices, with superior service.”26 The package we received included a flyer for Life Talk “America's pro-life television show” and a calendar on which each month portrays the picture of a smiling baby along with an ultrasound image depicting the same child. The calendar's cover reads, “I am your creator. You were in my care even before you were born. Isaiah 44.2.” It is important for educational programs, especially one used in public schools, to respect the diversity of opinions and provide unbiased information on all options that are available to a woman confronting an unintended pregnancy as a teenager or an adult. Passion & Purity does not adhere to this standard of educational programming. CONCLUSION Effective sexuality education programs provide accurate information in an unbiased manner and encourage students to think critically for themselves in order to define their own values and beliefs regarding sexuality. Passions & Principles is not a sexuality education program; it provides almost no information, includes inaccuracies, and does not allow for students to think critically or consider their own values or the values of their families. The curriculum's primary teaching method consists of a workbook where students fill in one or two words of a leading sentence such as “We value our sexuality, ____ it, and ____it for the security of marriage where we ______it.” Such messages fail to recognize or respect the diversity of values and opinions that exist in most communities and public school districts. Ultimately, Passion & Principles falls far short of meeting the needs of young people so that they may develop the skills and knowledge necessary to become sexually healthy adults. REFERENCES
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