Frankly "abstinence only" is the KISS method of not getting yourself in trouble.
If you don't do it, you won't put yourself at risk for the consequences of doing it. I agree with the concept. Plain and simple, you don't partake in risky activities, you negate the risks. And yes I willing partake in risky recreational activities. I understand others make those decisions for themselves everyday as well. So I do not mean for my words to sound as if I'm against risky behavior!
However, the issue is complicated though by other factors brought by each person involved. Friends, education on the topic, maturity, convictions, personality, activities, alcohol, responsibilities...and pretty much everything that happens in 'life'.
I must admit that my views have changed over the years depending on where I was personally on the topic at hand. My views have also changed as I have matured and solidified my positions and convictions about who I was as a person in the years of middle school, high school, college and now the real world. As I am right now, I still think the KISS idea up there is the way the world should work for everything in general, in a Hank Hill sort of way. But I know the reality of that concept being 1) practiced and 2) effective in this day and age with the influences on society are very slim. Things just don't work that way.
Kids do need to know what happens, how it happens and I think the biggest bit of information the kids need to know is that their questions, reactions and feelings they experience while 'growing up' not just on sex ed, but everything (school, self esteem, friends etc), are things that we as adults and parents have already gone through. The critical connection that should be made is the connection of their actions to their feelings. Recognizing and understanding those connections will put them ahead of the game in regards to making smart choices on sex.
Ohh geez, I'm going all Psych on a Sunday morning....I gotta get out of here!
Anyway, the entire topic of sex ed whether in the home or at school is a complicated issue that can't be confined a definitive set of do's and don'ts. It's such a personal issue that a one size fits all approach just will not work. So personal in fact that I personally think that is a family matter....scratch that, it should be handled as a family matter. The crack in the dam is that not all parents are equipped or informed or care enough to address it with their kids. It's almost as if there needs to be a lamaz class but for sex edu for parents. I mean, organizations teach moms&dads-to-be the protocol and procedure on how to handle the big day, right?
Ok, I'm beginning to ramble...the rest is just details the Health Edu in me is beginning to spout...freakin' programs...