ENHANCING ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING IN SEXUALITY AND AIDS EDUCATION

Traditionally, sexuality education has consisted of teaching adolescen ts about human anatomy, reproduction, and sexually transmitted disease s. Most sexuality and AIDS education curricula have emphasized neither the relational aspects nor the ethical meaning of sexual behavior. Ho wever, current guidelines for comprehensive sexuality education from t he National Guidelines Task Force acknowledge the ethical dimensions o f sexuality. This paper advocates providing sexuality and AIDS educati on in a way that helps adolescents explore the ethical meaning of thei r sexual behavior. Principles from Rest's model of moral development a re presented as one example of an ethical framework that could inform sexuality and AIDS education curricula. Rest describes four internal p rocesses that produce moral behavior: moral sensitivity, moral judgmen t, moral motivation, and moral character. For each of these processes, illustrative questions and activities are suggested here which can be used by sexuality and AIDS educators to facilitate discussions with a dolescents about the ethical meaning and implications of their sexual behavior.