PUSH Dayton : Professionals United for Sexual Health

Why is sex education so important?  Whether or not we’re comfortable with the idea, many teenagers do choose to have sex.  Unfortunately, most young people are not getting medically accurate, age-appropriate sexuality education to prepare them for this important and potentially life-altering decision.  Many “abstinence only until marriage” programs refuse to answer specific questions about birth control or limit information to failure rates of condoms and birth control.  This leaves many young people with a real need for information.  Below are just a few of the questions Planned Parenthood health educators have been asked during educational programs.

•    I’ve had two partners in three months.  How do I know which is the father of my baby?
•    Birth control pills can prevent STIs can’t they?
•    If my boyfriend drinks Mt. Dew is it true I can’t get pregnant?
•    Can you get pregnant the first time?
•    Is it okay to use a condom over again if you wash it out?
•    If you use birth control and aren’t married are you a slut?
•    If you pee after sex does that keep you from getting pregnant?
•    Am I still a virgin if I only have oral sex?
•    Can you get an STI from a toilet seat?
•    Does sex hurt?
•    If someone had oral sex and has no symptoms of an STD should they get tested?
•    What’s the most effective type of birth control (besides abstinence)?
•    Can sperm whiten teeth?
•    Why/how does a girl’s “cherry” pop?

Planned Parenthood provides comprehensive, age-appropriate, medically accurate sexuality education to young people in schools and other youth settings across southwest Ohio.  We believe in arming young people with accurate information and the skills they need to make healthy decisions about their sexuality now and in the future.