Comprehensive Sex Education (2007)

WHEREAS, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism believes in educating both adults and children to encourage them to live their lives and make their decisions in the context of halakhah and the tenets of Conservative Judaism;

WHEREAS, United Synagogue encourages abstinence before marriage, United Synagogue also recognizes that a large number of teens and adults do not abstain from sex before marriage;

WHEREAS, Conservative Judaism speaks to other issues related to sexuality and intimacy besides abstinence;

WHEREAS, the content of comprehensive sex education can include a discussion of sexual attitudes, developing interpersonal skills, and creating personal responsibility regarding sexual relationships;

WHEREAS, current models for comprehensive sex education encourage adolescents to make healthy choices about when to have sex and also teach about risk reduction behaviors;

WHEREAS, Conservative Judaism encourages life choices to be made in the context of Conservative Jewish values;

WHEREAS, abstinence only education has been receiving expanded U.S. Federal government support ($1.5 billion since 1996) and has been replacing comprehensive sex education;

WHEREAS, there are concerns about the informational content (see the Waxman report indicating these programs contain medically inaccurate information) as well as ethical concerns about abstinence only programs;

WHEREAS, a recently released U.S. congressionally mandated evaluation of abstinence only programs found that these programs have no beneficial impact on behavior;

WHEREAS, rigorous evaluations of comprehensive sex education programs indicate positive impact including the delay of onset of sex, reducing the number of sexual partners, and increasing contraceptive use;

WHEREAS, adolescents in our synagogues are increasingly unlikely to receive comprehensive sex education through the public school system (the most recent National Survey of Family Growth found that fewer teens are receiving any information about contraception in school-based sex education, while many more are receiving only information about abstinence); and

WHEREAS, “This is My Beloved, This is My Friend: A Rabbinic Letter on Intimate Relations” by Rabbi Elliot Dorff, states the importance of addressing the major concepts of human sexuality and intimacy in the context of Jewish law, ethics, and theology to show how our tradition can affect not only our public and professional lives but also our personal lives.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that United Synagogue supports comprehensive sex education;

Encourages parents to talk to their children about sexuality and sexual health in a Conservative Jewish context;

Calls upon the U.S. Congress to cease funding of abstinence only education;

Opposes funding of abstinence only education on federal, state, provincial and local levels;

Encourages the support of the inclusion of components of age appropriate comprehensive sex education in public schools; and

Encourages components of age appropriate comprehensive sex education in Solomon Schechter schools, Camps Ramah, Kadima, USY and Koach.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that United Synagogue will develop age-appropriate educational materials to be used in day schools, synagogue schools, youth groups and homes.