Reference no: EM133437625
Jess is 15 years old, attends ninth grade, is an average student, and well-liked. She has been dating Van, who is also in ninth grade, for about four months and feels that she is in love with him. Lately, things between them have been getting hotter and heavier. Van has told her that he loves her, too, and that he wants to have sex with her. Jess has never had intercourse with anyone before, although most of her friends are not virgins. Van has had sex with a few of his previous girlfriends. Jess wants to show him how much she loves him but she is afraid of getting pregnant. She doesn't know much about contraception, but she does know that condoms can prevent pregnancy. However, when she brings up the use of a condom to Van, he tells her that he hates to use them because he loses all of the feelings when he wears one. He absolutely refuses to use them and tells Jess that she'll have to use something.
Jess is not sure what to do. She knows that she can't turn to her parents for any information. The only thing her father has ever said to her about sex is "you better never come home pregnant!" Her mother is a nurse but has never really talked to her about sex. She did give Jess one of her nursing books on reproduction to read, but it was too technical and Jess couldn't understand it. Jess has heard her seventeen-year-old brother, Trevor, talking to his friends about getting laid. Trevor also has a driver's license and Jess thinks he may be able to help her so she approaches him to try and get some advice on contraception; but all he says is, "If I ever catch someone screwing around with my little sister, I'll kick his butt!"
Jess decides to approach her health teacher, Mrs. Jackson, with some questions about how to use contraception and where to get it. Jess makes an appointment to go see her during study hall, even though she was very embarrassed. She tells Mrs. Jackson that she needs to find out this information for a "friend." Mrs. Jackson smiles and says that she understands that Jess's "friend" must make a very important decision. Her advice is that the girl should abstain from intercourse. She tells Jess that the school district has an abstinence-based sexuality curriculum and the School Board had adopted a policy that teachers are not allowed to discuss any information on birth control with students. This was all Mrs. Jackson would say.
Jess's best friend, Madison, tells her not to worry. Madison has been "doing it" with her boyfriend for three months and has not gotten pregnant. She says that the trick is to make sure her boyfriend pulls out or to have sex close to the end of a period because a girl can't get pregnant during that time of her cycle. Jess spent some time on the internet to confirm Madison's advice. Some of what she read seemed to support Madison's ideas but also left her with some questions.
The next Friday, Jess's parents are out for the evening and her brother has a date. Van comes over to her house and brings some beer. They're both getting really turned on. She's a little hesitant about "going all the way" but Van says, "If you really love me, you won't make me stop. I really want you." Jess feels awkward but tells Van that he needs to make sure he pulls out. He agrees but afterward, Jess can't tell if Van pulled out completely in time or not, although he assures her not to worry. The following month, Jess's period is late and she discovers that she is pregnant.
1. Considering all of the individuals in this scenario (Jess, Van, Jess's mom, Jess's dad, Trevor, Mrs. Jackson, Madison), explain who is the most and also the least responsible for this pregnancy?
2. Why did the pregnancy happen? Identify at least three factors that were important issues.
3. To what extent would comprehensive sexuality education have changed the outcome in this scenario and why? Explain what is meant by comprehensive sexuality education and how it is different from abstinence-only education.