Questão 78 da UFPR 2005 (inglês)

As questões 77 a 80 referem-se ao texto a seguir.

Texas educators are debating what will be taught in new sexual education textbooks for its high school students. The 15-member Texas Board of Education is considering and will likely approve four books, all of which extol the virtues of abstinence. Three make no mention of contraceptives at all while one makes passing reference to condoms.

Critics are crying foul, saying that a lesson of abstinence alone is dangerous because it could lead to more teen pregnancies and more teens becoming infected with sexually transmitted diseases.

The battle in Texas has national implications because the state is the second-biggest market for textbooks in the United States. Books approved by the state’s school board are typically marketed nationally.

According to Centers for Disease Control figures, Texas has been among the top five states in the country for teenage pregnancies for several years.

When he was governor of Texas, George W. Bush pushed for abstinence-based sexual education curriculum. He raised his concerns to a national level when he said in this year’s State of the Union address: “We will double federal funding for abstinence programs so schools can teach this fact of life: Abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases.”

National surveys indicate that a wide majority of parents support a strong abstinence message to teens in sexual education. The Texas Freedom Network, a group that regularly battles social and religious conservatives in the state, along with Planned Parenthood and others are asking the board not to approve the four textbooks under consideration.