The purpose of this review paper, "Adolescent Sexual Education: Designing Curriculum That Works", is to present some basic curriculum necessities for developing an in-school sexual education program that results in decreasing the number of teenagers initiating sex, thus reducing the number of teen pregnancies and cases of sexually transmitted…

President Barack Obama has proposed an end to abstinence-only-until-marriage funding as Americans have known it for the better part of the last decade. This marks a significant change in direction, one that finally brings science and evidence back into government policy. His leadership on this new direction will be essential in the coming…

Maintains that infants and toddlers, parents, and child caregivers are vulnerable to a variety of infectious diseases from infant-toddler child care centers. These diseases include infectious diarrhea; rubella; cytomeglovirus; hepatitis A, and haemophilus influenza type B. Suggests ways to prevent the spread of such diseases. (BB)

Teens encounter a barrage of messages about sexuality in popular culture--messages that shape their identities and schooling experiences in profound ways. Meanwhile, teen sexuality, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) increasingly arouse public panic. To date, however, schools do little to help teens make sense of their…

Access to and availability of contraceptive methods in stores play an important role in the prevention of AIDS, unwanted pregnancies, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Although teens are generally knowledgable about birth control, many encounter barriers when attempting to obtain contraceptive. Forty-five drug stores and 15 convenience…

Teen pregnancies and teen sexually transmitted diseases cost society in terms of adding to the tax burden by supporting people who have dropped out of the tax base without a job or education in order to have a baby or repair their health. They also cost because of the loss of human potential of a young life interrupted and cut short with greater…

Discussions of teen sex usually focus on the dangers of pregnancy and disease but ignore the emotional hazards and destructive psychological consequences of temporary sexual relationships. Teenagers absorbed in a sexual relationship may turn inward at a time then they should be reaching out to others. (SLD)

Although many parents worry that sex education and condom availability encourage teenage sex, studies demonstrate that adolescents are already having unprotected sex at younger ages. Parents have no right to use public schools to impose their religious beliefs on teenagers. High schools are the best place to provide sex education and teach…

The director of the Birth Defects Center at the University of California at San Francisco addresses the reasons for developing good ways of teaching human genetics. Genetic counseling is discussed within the context of several case histories. (SA)

Sex equity issues which are emphasized in this article include: (a) how boys and girls negotiate reproductive transitions; (b) how male and female sexual maturity is treated differently by parents, educators, and society; and (c) how the consequences of puberty and sexual behavior may differ for boys and girls. (IAH)

In nine chapters, this book considers the extent to which training programs can be utilized to improve midwifery practice and reduce the risks surrounding childbirth in rural populations. The book opens with a chapter reviewing the question of whether the availability of trained birth attendants can be linked to a reduced incidence of neonatal…

A discussion of sexuality and college students looks at these issues: sexual communication and self-image; sexual orientation; the "virginity burden" syndrome; communicable diseases and pregnancy; sexual abuse and rape; alcohol and sex; and condom use. Student comments are included. (MSE)