In Abbotsford, British Columbia, a quiet clause in a guest speaker agreement has opened a larger question about what young people are owed by the institutions meant to prepare them for life. The district's insistence that abstinence is the only 'truly safe' path places it at odds with three decades of provincial curriculum and a body of research suggesting that knowledge — not its absence — is what protects young people. At stake is not merely a policy disagreement between educators and administrators, but the degree to which students in one of B.C.'s largest school districts can trust that th
Abbotsford's abstinence-focused sex ed policy draws criticism from health educators
Students in Abbotsford may receive incomplete sexual health education, potentially affecting their ability to make informed decisions about relationships, contraception, and consent.
Their right to education is being violated. That's quite serious.
Mark
So the district is saying abstinence is the only truly safe way. What's the actual disagreement here—is it about whether abstinence works, or something else?
Mimi
It's about what students need to know. Abstinence does work, sure, but most teenagers will become sexually active. The question is whether they'll have the knowledge to do it safely.
Luke
But the superintendent says they're still teaching the full curriculum. So is the letter actually changing what students learn, or is it just a signal about community values?
Mimi
That's the tension. The letter sets a tone. When a guest speaker has to sign that abstinence is the "only truly safe" way, it frames everything else as less safe, even if the curriculum itself is comprehensive.
Mark
And the data—what does it actually show about Abbotsford students specifically?
Luke
Here's where it gets murky. The survey groups Abbotsford with four other districts in Fraser East. We don't have Abbotsford-only numbers. So we know the region, but not the district itself.
Mimi
Right. But we do know that in that region, 27 percent of students found sex ed unhelpful. And students who found it helpful were more likely to use contraception and less likely to use porn for information.
Mark
So the real cost is whether students feel they got what they needed.
Mimi
Exactly. And if the framing around abstinence makes comprehensive information feel secondary, students might not absorb it the same way.
Luke
The superintendent did say the language could be revised. So this might not be a permanent stance.
Mark
But until it changes, what happens to the students in those 46 schools?
Mimi
They get the curriculum, but the message they receive about it—from the district's own letter—might undermine its value.
El Pulso
- A 2024 guest speaker agreement requiring educators to affirm abstinence as the sole path to safety has put Abbotsford's school district in direct tension with B.C.'s comprehensive sex education curriculum.
- Sexual health educators warn that restricting information doesn't delay sexual activity — it simply ensures young people navigate it with less knowledge, more secrecy, and fewer tools to protect themselves.
- When schools leave gaps, students fill them elsewhere: educators report youth turning to pornography for answers, absorbing distorted and sometimes dangerous ideas about sex, consent, and normalcy.
- Regional health data reveals that while Abbotsford students are sexually active at rates mirroring the provincial average, fewer than half consistently use reliable contraception — a gap that incomplete education may be widening.
- The district superintendent has signalled the abstinence language may be revisited, but advocates say the revision must go further than wording — students' right to a full education is what needs defending.
In Abbotsford, British Columbia, a quiet clause in a guest speaker agreement has opened a larger question about what young people are owed by the institutions meant to prepare them for life. The district's insistence that abstinence is the only 'truly safe' path places it at odds with three decades of provincial curriculum and a body of research suggesting that knowledge — not its absence — is what protects young people. At stake is not merely a policy disagreement between educators and administrators, but the degree to which students in one of B.C.'s largest school districts can trust that their education is complete.
The Abbotsford School District requires visiting sexual health educators to sign a letter affirming that abstinence is the only way teenagers can be truly safe from pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. The letter, updated in 2024, has become a point of conflict between the district and health educators who argue it contradicts what British Columbia's curriculum actually requires.
Kristen Gilbert, who has spent two decades directing sexual health education at Options for Sexual Health, is direct in her assessment: the district's framing doesn't just diverge from provincial standards — it may constitute a violation of students' right to education. She argues that what reduces unplanned pregnancies and STIs is knowledge, not the withholding of it. District superintendent Nathan Ngieng has defended the approach as an expression of community values, while acknowledging that the specific abstinence language could be reconsidered. He maintains the district is bound by the provincial curriculum and committed to giving students the information they need.
B.C.'s sex education framework has been in place for thirty years, beginning in elementary school with foundational concepts like bodily autonomy and the names of body parts, and building toward more complex discussions of consent, contraception, and relationships by Grade 8. Gilbert is clear that this is not simply instruction in condom use — it is about equipping young people to have difficult conversations, understand their own boundaries, and navigate relationships with confidence.
The consequences of incomplete education are well-documented. Young people who receive comprehensive sex ed are more likely to delay sexual activity and to approach it with greater care when they do become active. Those who don't still become sexually active — but with less information and fewer resources. Gilbert raises a particular concern about pornography filling the void left by absent education: students ask her whether violent or degrading acts they've seen online are normal or expected. They are not, and some — like strangulation — carry serious physical risk.
Health survey data from the Fraser East region, which includes Abbotsford, shows students are sexually active at rates close to the provincial average, yet fewer than half used condoms during their last sexual encounter, with many relying on withdrawal instead. Among students who received sex education and found it helpful, condom use was higher and reliance on pornography lower — a correlation that underscores what is lost when education falls short.
Gilbert's hope rests partly with students themselves. 'One thing that youth are really good at is advocating for their rights,' she said. 'I hope that they will hear that they deserve better and they deserve more.'
The Abbotsford School District asks visiting speakers on sexual health to sign a letter stating that abstinence is the only way teenagers can be "truly safe" from pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. The letter, last updated in 2024, has become a flashpoint between the district and educators who argue it contradicts British Columbia's comprehensive sex education curriculum and potentially leaves students unprepared for real decisions about their bodies and relationships.
Kristen Gilbert, who directs education at Options for Sexual Health and has spent two decades teaching sexual health, disputes the district's framing outright. She told The Tyee that emphasizing abstinence alone strays from what the province's curriculum actually calls for, and that the consequences are significant. "I would go so far as to say their right to education is being violated," she said. "What helps in reducing unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections is knowledge, not lack of knowledge." The Abbotsford School District serves 46 schools with more than 20,000 students.
Nathan Ngieng, the district's superintendent, defended the approach as reflecting community values. He said the schools do provide comprehensive sex education but that the language around abstinence acknowledges what matters to parents in the area. He framed it as working "hand in hand" with the community to build the partnership between parents and teachers that education requires. Ngieng also noted that the specific wording—that abstinence is the only "truly safe" way—could be reconsidered. He emphasized that the district is bound by the provincial curriculum and obligated to equip students with factual, well-rounded information so they can make sound decisions about their health.
Gilbert explained that B.C. introduced its age-appropriate sex education curriculum three decades ago, starting in elementary school with teaching children the names of body parts, bodily autonomy, and whom to talk to about relationships and safety. The goal is to make students comfortable with the subject so they can handle more complex information beginning in Grade 8—information that helps them make future decisions they feel confident about. This includes the choice to abstain from sex until they feel ready. Sex education, she stressed, is not simply about condom use. It is about learning to discuss difficult subjects, understanding consent, and navigating sexuality and relationships with clarity and respect.
The research backing comprehensive sex education is, by Gilbert's account, "overwhelming." Young people who receive comprehensive sex ed are more likely to delay sexual activity, wait until they feel genuinely ready, and prioritize love and connection in sexual relationships. The opposite is also true: when information is restricted or young people are told how they should behave rather than given facts, they still become sexually active—but with less knowledge, more secrecy, and fewer resources to prevent pregnancy, manage STIs, navigate consent, or seek help if something goes wrong. Gilbert raised another concern: when schools don't teach about sex, young people turn to pornography for answers. "Porn is not for kids," she said. "It's for adults, and it's not for education, it's for entertainment." Pornography often depicts violent sex and demeaning portrayals of women, trans people, and gay people. Students ask her whether practices shown in porn—like choking—are normal or expected. Choking, or strangulation, is extremely dangerous, with no safe version.
Data from the 2023 B.C. Adolescent Health Survey offers a window into how sex education translates into actual health outcomes. In the Fraser East region, which includes Abbotsford, students reported rates of oral sex and sexual intercourse similar to the provincial average—17 and 16 percent respectively. Most who had had sex began at 15 or 16; one-quarter of non-binary youth reported starting at 12 or younger. Just over half of Fraser students used condoms during their last sexual encounter, while 44 percent relied on withdrawal, a method the survey notes is unreliable for preventing pregnancy. One percent reported being pregnant or involved in a pregnancy. Among the 75 percent of Fraser students who said they received sex education in school, 27 percent found it unhelpful, while 48 percent found it useful. Notably, students who found sex education helpful were more likely to use condoms or other barriers and less likely to turn to pornography for information.
Across Canada, support among parents for sex education in schools is extraordinarily high. Gilbert expressed hope that parents and students in Abbotsford will advocate for more complete education. "One thing that youth are really good at is advocating for their rights," she said. "I hope that they will hear that they deserve better and they deserve more."
Citas Notables
What helps in reducing unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections is knowledge, not lack of knowledge.— Kristen Gilbert, director of education at Options for Sexual Health
We are bound by the curriculum. Our obligation is to make sure that they are equipped with the factual information, well-rounded information, so they can make good decisions about their health and well-being.— Nathan Ngieng, superintendent of Abbotsford School District
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