For many years now, individuals in all states have been attempting to teach teenagers about safe sex. Administrators have designed special classes and foundations worldwide in order to help out with this subject. As said by K4Health, “The term ‘condom’ first appeared in print in 1717, in an English publication on syphilis, although its origin still remains uncertain” (Stryker). The reason why schools should be giving teenagers condoms is because most teenagers do not tell their parents that they are sexually active. Most teenagers are more comfortable telling one of their teachers that they are really close to, or another administrator. If the parents are not aware that their child is sexually active, they will not have the educational talk with them thus resulting in the adolescent not knowing about the appropriate protection they need. In today’s society, teens, especially those in their high school years feel higher pressure from their peers to participate in sexual activity. Some individuals will have sex with only one person, while others will have sex with multiple partners which can become extremely harmful to the physical and emotional health of the teenager. These individuals believe that having sex in high school is a “popular” thing and everyone has to lose their virginity before they graduate, but it is not. With schools giving out the appropriate contraceptives, such as condoms, the teenagers will not be embarrassed walking into a store and buying what they need. They will simply receive them in their school hours free of charge and it could possibly save someone’s life. Some people think condom distribution in high schools should not be required because it will be perceived as giving the child permission to partic... ... middle of paper ... ... the young girl having a baby, there is a lot of responsibility to be had. The teenager has to pay for food, medicine, spend time with the baby, work to support the baby, take care of the baby, etc., but with the adolescent also wanting to get an education it seems pretty impossible. They soon drop out of school and as a result are not getting the education they need to further their life. High school is supposed to be the best four years of your life, and with the teenager dropping out of school because they have a baby, they are not getting the experience every teenager should have. If the school gives out the condoms to the teenagers, they hopefully will be smart enough to use the condom so they will not become the next teen parents. They will see how hard it is to be a teenager mother and raising a child, and they will use the condom in their sexual activities.
Nineteen-fifty five marked the debut of sex education programs in schools in the United States. Along the years, many have argued whether or not sex education should be taught in schools. Many believe that the education of sex encourages students to engage in sexual activities which lead to a higher number of pregnancies and sexual transmitted diseases (STD’s). As the number of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases climbs higher and higher every day in our country, one can only think that sexual education is a necessity in our school systems. Teens as young as fourteen years old have admitted to already engaging in sexual activities. No teen should be engaging in such acts at that age. Many schools give parents the choice to have their child opt out of the lesson or class. Few states are required to teach sex education to students in secondary schools unless they were withdrawn from the class by their parents.
The question regarding whether or not public schools must offer birth control methods to teenagers remains controversial. There are those who are for birth control being provided in public school and those who are against it. This paper will describe two issues that prove that contraception should indeed be provided within public schools. The first reason is that most Americans support the idea that public schools must provide birth control methods to students. This is according to results obtained from several opinion polls. The second reason for contraceptive being given to teenagers, will help them avoid many dangerous Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) associated with having unsafe sexual practices. Studies have shown an increase with unprotected sex with teenagers can result in a wide-range of social problem, such as STDs.
In the article “Condom: New Diploma”, Rush Limbaugh leads this article to one of the issues with public education lately. Condoms being distributed in the school, promoting sexual activity in teens, without proper knowledge. The mindset that since kids are going to do it, why not provide them the protection. Justifying the reasoning behind handing out condoms. This thinking open doors to why not create everything safe from drugs to safe sex. Boys now having access to condoms are urging girls to have sex, even if the girls are not ready. Chaperones purpose was to monitor and keep girls safe from the pursuit of eager young men. This is not the case anymore within the campuses. Adults recognize the consequences to having sex, knowing this they
Freely accessible birth control for teenagers has always been a topic of debate, but it prevents pregnancy, abortion, and it also has many health benefits. There are cons to the argument that suggests a rise in promiscuity in the adolescent demographic, but in spite of these cons the rise of birth control continues, because access to birth control helps adolescents make an informed and safe decision on whether or not to participate in sexual activities. It doesn’t make the decision for them.
Abstinence-Only programs are currently the most used in public schools, but this method is seriously out-dated and does not aptly deal with the issue that teenagers are participating in underage sex regardless of whether they have been told that they should not. Without the proper information, teenagers are blindly making a decision about having sex that could impact their lives in far many more ways than they can fathom, most not fully understanding the ramifications of their decision. The implementation across the nation of a comprehensive Abstinence-Plus program teaching: abstinence, health risks, birth control, teen pregnancy, and providing students with information and birth control is exactly what is needed.
We already know that some minors are stupid enough, naive enough, or defiant enough to have sexual intercourse with another person. That is all you need to know to figure out if minors should or should not be able to use birth control, if they’re going do it anyways, they should be able to protect themselves for the future. Approximately 1 million adolescent teens become pregnant each year and 86% of STI’s (Sexually transmitted infection) happen between ages 15-29 years old, showing just how big of a social issue this is for Americans. A valid argue against is, if you don 't let them protect themselves, they won’t have sex at all, fearing the consequences. This essay will cover why it is imperative that it is legal for minors to use birth
A more relatable article, “Condom Distribution in High School” - A Rebuttal” by Robert N. Rowe, a writer and consultant, stands firmly in favor of distributing condoms to high school students and comments directly on Gow’s article. Rowe clearly states, “Granted, they are the most logical and desirable sources, but what if a student has incompetent or perhaps no parental guidance and has little if any access to a physician? Schools have acted in loco parentis ever since public education first evolved. Why should it stop now during a devastating health crisis?” While Gow believes that parents and physicians are the accountable ones for providing students with the proper information and materials about sexually transmitted diseases, Rowe sees
In the United States today, many teenage girls are facing lots of problems. New problems are rising such as an increased pregnancy rate among teenagers. Our teenage girls are less developed and unprepared for the problems which come along with their decision to have sex. It is also too early for teenage girls to become pregnant. Many teens think having a baby is some sort of joke. They believe it will never happen to them but the reality is that every time teens have sex, there is a possibility that the sperm will find its way to the egg if they do not get protection. As a nation, or society, it is in our common interest to protect our teenage girls from getting unwanted or unplanned pregnancy. However, this issue of protecting or preventing our teenage girls from pregnancy plays a dynamic role and is a matter of choice. Many parents and educators have long argued over whether teens should get a comprehensive sex education or abstinence only education. The question is which of these programs is more effective at stopping teen pregnancy. To prevent teenage pregnancy, the United States, should force schools to teach comprehensive sex education for many reasons. For many people, instructing teenage girls about the usefulness of birth control and condoms is more important than just simply mentioning to avoid sex until marriage. Comprehensive sex education is needed to teach teens about the usefulness of condoms.
“Teen pregnancy went way down in the ‘90s, and 75 percent of it was because of an increased use of contraception.”(Al Franken). If teenagers learn about methods of birth control they can use it to their advantage if these actions are what they choose to apply themselves to. Many parents think if students learn about birth control they will start engaging in intercourse, birth control should become part of the school curriculum because once students understand how to prevent pregnancy and STD’s than the rates in teens will decrease and students should know all the options of prevention.
Many schools have provided teens with sex education classes to provide students with information about safe sex. Furthermore, Moskowitz explains that the “New York City board of Education programs are allowed to distribute condoms to high school students without parental consent.” Although many parents were against the school policy the court decided to allow students to receive condoms without parental consent. By having classes that discusses HIV, AIDS, and teen pregnancy teens may feel that having condoms distributed in schools is great to coincide with the classes being taught at the school. Condoms are the first method of birth control for teens and are a great start for teens that are having sex if they are not sure their parents should be involved in their decision on having sex.
Analyses of the Urban Institute’s National Survey of Adolescent Males (NSAM) show that although most sexually experienced teenage males have used condoms at least once, many do not use them consistently. Only 35 percent reported using a condom every time they had sex in the past year. But teenage males use condoms more than older men, and between 1979 and 1988 reported condom use among male teenagers doubled. These patterns indicate that teenagers are a promising target population for condom promotion efforts since they appear more ready than older men to change their behaviors.
The government likes to pretend that if high school students get taught the “abstinence-only” method they would never think of taking part in sexual activities. Statistically this is incorrect. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “56 percent of high school students are virgins”(Martin). For the 56 percent abstinence only is doing them well, but there are still 44 percent of high school students engaging in sex without knowing the precau...
Three million teenagers will contract a sexually transmitted disease and one in three women will become pregnant before they are twenty years old. Teens are contracting sexually transmitted diseases and getting pregnant at an alarming rate causing the government, schools, and parents to scratch their heads. America is the country with the highest teen pregnancy rate in the world. Many are wondering what can be done to stop this. A debate has been going on about whether abstinence only education is doing any good for high school students in America. Abstinence only education teaches teenagers to abstain from all sexual acts until they are married. It does not teach about pregnancy or the different types of contraceptives that are available to prevent pregnancy. On the other hand, there is safe sex education. Safe sex education teaches teenagers facts about intercourse they need to know, acknowledges the potential consequences or risks of sexual behavior, and helps them make better decisions to protect themselves and their bodies.
The topic of condom distribution in public schools has caused many heated debates throughout our country in the last decade. Proponents of distribution state that free condom distribution will ensure that teenagers will practice safe sex and that the rate of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy will decline. Opponents of distribution state that free condom distribution will encourage sexual activity and foster the idea that premarital sex is acceptable. Judges in federal court have even considered whether or not condom distribution and sex education without prior parental notification violates parents' First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The only viewpoint absent in a discussion of this very controversial topic is the one that holds the most value: the viewpoint of America's teenagers. Teenagers are the only ones who can fully explain why condom distribution fails to respond to the needs that foster sexual activity among young people.
“Forty-one percent of teens ages 18-19 said they know nothing about condoms, and seventy-five percent said they know nothing about the contraceptive pill” (Facts on American Teens). Even if schools taught just abstinence it still would not be enough. “In 2007, a study showed that abstinence only programs have no beneficial impact on the sexual behavior of young people” (Facts on American Teens). Sex education is not taken as seriously as it should be in schools, it is treated like it is not a big deal. Schools should require a sex education class that specifically teaches students about sex and goes into depth of all the possible consequences because of the high pregnancy, abortion, and virus rates.