Should sex ed in public schools go beyond abstinence?(A SECTION)

No one disputes that chastity prevents unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

The great divide of public opinion opens when discussion turns to how public school teachers portray that fact to boys and girls. On one side are those who insist that abstinence until marriage should be presented in sex education classes as the only course of action. Others say that yes, educators need to stress abstinence, but it should be part of a broader curriculum that includes information about contraceptive use and STD prevention.

According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, 22 states and the District of Columbia require public schools to teach sex education. …