 Beginning in the second half of the 19th century , American rates of sexually transmitted diseases skyrocketed . Causes cited by historians include effects of the American Civil War , and the ignorance of prevention methods promoted by the Comstock laws . To fight the growing epidemic , sex education classes were introduced to public schools for the first time , teaching about venereal diseases and how they were transmitted . They generally taught that abstinence was the only way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases . Condoms were not promoted for disease prevention because the medical community and moral watchdogs considered STDs to be punishment for sexual misbehavior . The stigma against victims of these diseases was so great that many hospitals refused to treat people who had syphilis . 
 Beginning in the second half of the 19th century , American rates of sexually transmitted diseases skyrocketed . Causes cited by historians include effects of the American Civil War , and the ignorance of prevention methods promoted by the Comstock laws . To fight the growing epidemic , sex education classes <a href='uninflect' title='1'><mark>were</mark></a> introduced to public schools for the first time , teaching about venereal diseases and how they <a href='uninflect' title='2'><mark>were</mark></a> transmitted . They generally taught that abstinence was the only way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases . Condoms <a href='uninflect' title='3'><mark>were</mark></a> not promoted for disease <a href='negative_concord' title='4'><mark>prevention</mark></a> because the medical community and moral watchdogs considered STDs to be punishment for sexual misbehavior . The stigma against victims of these diseases was so great that many hospitals refused to treat people <a href='null_relcl' title='5'><mark>who</mark></a>had syphilis . 
Beginning in da second half of the 19th century , American rates of sexually transmitted diseases skyrocketed . Causes cited by historians include effects of the American Civil War , and the ignorance of prevention methods promoted by the Comstock laws . To fight the growin epidemic , sex education classes was introduced to public schools for tdafirst time , teaching about venereal diseases and how they was transmitted . They generally taught that abstinence was thdanly way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases . Condoms was not promoted for disease no prevention becuz thedadical community and moral watchdogs considered STDs to b punishment for sexual misbehavior . The stigma against victims of these diseases was so great that many hospitals refused to treat people had syphilis .