Sex Education in the United States

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Many sexually active teens are never educated on the dangers of unprotected sex, because their schools do not teach this kind of education. Could changing this lead to less sexually transmitted infections or teenage pregnancy? Teaching options could ensure more safety to teenagers. Should sex education be taught in public schools in the United States, and if so, what kind of education is the best choice for today’s teenagers? There are three basic types of sex education. The most widely spoken about and taught is called abstinence based sex education. An abstinence-only approach to sex education teaches teens and young adults that not having sex until marriage is the best or only way to effectively avoid sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy. Abstinence based education is also taught with the thought that it is morally incorrect to have sex before marriage, often because of religious reasons. Students are taught that sexual activity before marriage have harmful psychological and physical effects, also that having a child out of wedlock harms the child, the child’s parents, and society (AVERT 1). The second most popular approach to sex education is called abstinence-plus education. This is a type of education that primarily teaches basic abstinence beliefs and morals, but also provides the basic facts about contraceptives and safe sex. This includes teaching students that they should be physically and emotionally ready for sex before becoming sexually active. The last approach to sex education is called comprehensive sex education. This does not focus on teaching teens to avoid sex until marriage. Instead, a comprehensive approach to sex education would explain the benefits of waiting for sex until they ar... ... middle of paper ... ...ere is still a necessity for some form of sex education. The country is likely to never come to a complete consensus as to what type of education is the best choice for young adults, but after being presented with all of the facts I believe the comprehensive approach is the best choice for educators. Works Cited “Abstinence and Sex Education.” AIDS and HIV information from the AIDS charity AVERT. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2011. www.avert.org/abstinence “Facts on Sex Education in the United States.” Guttmacher Institute: Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Jan. 2011. www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_sexed2006 Life360. “Non-Abstinence Sex Ed Gets Federal Funding.” Life360. N.p., 13 Oct. 2010, Web. 20 Jan. 2011. http://www.life 360.com/blog/sex-ed-government-funding/ “Planned Parenthood.” Planned Parenthood. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. www.plannedparenthood.org

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