Although studies have shown that patients want to receive sexual health services from their physicians, doctors often lack the knowledge and skills to discuss sexual health with their patients. There is little consistency among medical schools and residency programs in the United States regarding comprehensiveness of education on sexual health.…

The course proposed is planned as an undergraduate Human Sexuality course within a Women and Gender Studies program. Teaching a course on Human Sexuality with an interdisciplinary approach allows for students to gain knowledge from several different academic disciplines. This course would teach from a sex-positive and holistic view of sexuality as…

Despite its widespread use, pornography has been vilified as a symptom of personal and cultural depravity and as a cause of rape, aggression, devaluation of women, and marital dissolution. Yet in some cases there may be personal, relational, and social value to the use of sexually explicit material. In this paper, we briefly review the literature,…

Considerable progress has been made in the last three decades in contraceptive technology and the treatment of sexually transmitted infections. However, education of the nation's youth about sexual health issues has been less successful. Most parents remain silent on the topic of sexuality while states argue over the curriculum. As a result, a…

Sexuality education curricula designed for youths with special needs are sparse. "Life Cycle: How We Grow and Change" (Vavricheck & Tolle, 2008) is a new curriculum by clinical social workers Sherrie Mansfield Vavricheck and R. Kay Tolle. Each chapter addresses a particular developmental stage between birth and death. Lessons within each chapter…

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…

"Inside the Sex Ed Studio" profiles leaders in the field of sexuality education. Peggy Brick, former director of Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern New Jersey's Center for Family Life Education (CFLE) and author of numerous sexuality education resources used worldwide, is the subject of this interview. Ms. Brick was interviewed by William J.…

"Inside the Sex Ed Studio" profiles leaders in the field of sexuality education. Susan N. Wilson, former Executive Coordinator of the Network for Family Life Education, long-time advocate for sexuality education, and the driving force behind New Jersey's K-12 mandate for comprehensive sexuality education was the first such leader to be profiled…

As a Family and Consumer Science educator at Union City High School in Union City, Pennsylvania, I have heard and seen a great deal. I have been teaching for 24 years at this rural Pennsylvania Middle/High School where teen pregnancy has always been a problem. Teaching students abstinence as the only method of birth control has been a major…