William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice
Article Title
Eating Hot Peppers to Avoid HIV/AIDS: New Challenges to Failing Abstinence-Only Programs
Abstract
This Note examines abstinence-only education curricula, including its history, criticisms against it, and the failure of judicial challenges to end its promotion and federal funding. It addresses how abstinence-only education has managed to remain a central means of teaching sexual education, despite its ineffective and controversial nature. Finally, this Note will discuss how abstinence-only education curricula may fall out of favor or be modified with new state and federal requirements that sexual educational curricula be medically accurate. This is demonstrated by the American Academy of Pediatrics v. Clovis Unified School District case in California.