Sexual Education and Teenage Pregnancies

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It seems like there have been more teen pregnancies now than ever before. Why is that? Many people question whether or not schools should keep sex education in the classroom or completely remove the course from schools. Sex education needs to be a course that is required to take in junior high and high schools, in attempt to prevent teen pregnancies and make them aware of the outcomes if one does become pregnant. The National Campaign to Prevent teen Pregnancy acknowledges that, “There are 750,000 teen pregnancies annually.” Eight out of ten of those pregnancies are unintended. The State Board of Education needs to keep sex education in schools because it can help teens make conscious choices about sex, and it can also teach about the consequences if they choose to engage in sex.
Several people may question whether sex education needs to be a course that is kept in or out of schools, however it does have more benefits to keeping it in as opposed to keeping it out. If sex education were to be removed from schools, teens will not have a way to learn about sex unless their parents or guardians talk to them about it. Assuming that parents or guardians do not talk to their kids about sex and it is dismissed from schools, kids will learn about it on their own which could possibly lead to false information and teen pregnancy. For example, if a teen has a question about sex, and they don’t want to go to their parents, they will go to their peers; and their peers might not be the best people to talk to. Bill Albert, spokesman for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy states, “Since the ‘90s, the country has made dramatic improvements in teen pregnancies because there is less sex and more contraception. Whatever works, so be it....

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...tember 16). Teen sex. CQ Researcher, 15, 761-784. 7 March 2014

Hamilton, R., Sanders, M., Anderman, E. The Multiple Choices of Sex
Education. Phi Delta Kappan. Feb 2013: 34-39. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 7 March 2014.

Harrison, L., Kelleher, T. Should Primary School Children
Receive Sex Education?. Sunday Herald-Sun (Melbourne). 09 Sep 2012: 74. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 7 March 2014.

Herrman, J. W., Lytle-Barnaby, R. Both Sides Can Agree on Teen Pregnancy Prevention. News Journal (Wilmington). 03 Jan 2013: n/a. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 7 March 2014

Lagina, N., & Whittaker, A. (2012). Effective Parent-Teen Communication About Sex Is
Critical. In A. D. Stephens (Ed.), Opposing Viewpoints. Teenage Sexuality. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. (Reprinted from Parent-Child Communication: Promoting Sexually Healthy Youth, Advocates for Youth, 2010) 7 March 2014.

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