Grosskopf 1 The concept of sex education is argued many different ways; however, a conclusion can be reached that abstinence only sex education does not work, and something needs to be changed about the school systems in which that is the only option offered. Most kids do not understand the changes happening in their bodies, and certain urges and sensations that they may be feeling. In addition, they need to be able to differentiate a safe versus unsafe sexual relationship and how to practice safe sex. Most parents of elementary school-aged children are apprehensive to the idea of giving their children sex education because they believe it will encourage their children to be sexually active at a young age; however, sex education throughout …show more content…
They might also have questions that they are afraid to ask. In addition to feeling uncomfortable about the changes occurring in their bodies, they could be feeling certain unexplainable sensations and urges that can be uneasy for them to talk to someone about. Having a proper sex education will allow them to receive knowledge about what all of those feelings mean and how to safely deal with them. A substantial amount of children will go through puberty afraid to talk to someone, and without a sex education they may never find out why certain changes are happening until much later in their lives. It is pertinent that children are aware of why they are going through these changes and that they are not alone. By certain ages, children should be able to recognize, not just their own anatomy, but the anatomy of the opposite sex. There are certain milestones of education that needs to be reaches in order to remain informed. The best way to have a positive sex education experience is to use the approach of gradually immersing them in the topic of …show more content…
Many children who receive an abstinence only sex education are afraid to ask questions because they feel as though they should not talk about the subject. By practicing the hands on approach of sex education, it will allow children to be more comfortable with the subject and won’t feel as foreign, especially when they are surrounded by people who know how to educate children about the subject and know how to make them comfortable. The passive approach may make children feel squeamish and unwilling to talk about the subject. Having adults who are skilled in talking about the concept of sex are pertinent, for
Since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began in the U.S. in the early 1980s the issue of sex education for American youth has had the attention of the nation. There are about 400,000 teen births every year in the U.S, with about 9 billion in associated public costs. STI contraction in general, as well as teen pregnancy, have put the subject even more so on the forefront of the nation’s leading issues. The approach and method for proper and effective sex education has been hotly debated. Some believe that teaching abstinence-only until marriage is the best method while others believe that a more comprehensive approach, which includes abstinence promotion as well as contraceptive information, is necessary. Abstinence-only program curriculums disregard medical ethics and scientific accuracy, and have been empirically proven to be ineffective; therefore, comprehensive sex education programs which are medically accurate, science-based and empirically proven should be the standard method of sex education for students/children in the U.S.
Today’s young Americans face strong peer pressure to be sexually active and engage themselves in risky behaviors (Merino 100-109). Anyone deciding to have sex must first think about all the risks involved. Kekla Magoon, author of Sex Education in Schools, says that “half of all teens aged 15 to 19 years old in the United States have had sex” (Magoon 64-65). It is currently not required by federal law for schools to teach Sex education and those few schools that do teach Sex education have the decision to determine how much information is allowed. Advocates from both sides of the Sex education debate agree that teens need positive influences in order to make practical decisions (Magoon 88-89). Opponents of Abstinence-only education believe it fails because it does not prepare teens for all the risks of sex (Magoon 64-65).
Sex can be traced back as far as Adam and Eve, the first two people on this planet. Today, all age groups encounter things associated with sex, but it is not a problem that concerns everyone. The problem that has been at hand for more than thirty years is should sex education classes be offered in Public Schools? (1.Teaching Fear; 1996)
Bourton, Victoria. “Sex Education In School: Young People’s Views.” Paediatric Nursing. Academic Search Premier, 1 Oct. 2006. Web. 28 Jun. 2014.
In the U.S., more than 750,000 girls ages 15-19 become pregnant every year. More than 80 percent of these are unintended pregnancies. (Lorrie) Sex education and how it should be taught has been a controversial issue for many years. This is such a hot topic because everyone wants to find the best method to teach sex education so that children will be well informed and able to take care of their bodies and health. The need to teach children sex education will continue to be an ongoing issue and is not something that cannot be ignored. Educating students on sex education in school will ensure students are receiving correct accurate information.
In the past, sex was something that people tried to avoid talking about it, neither less teaching. Sex became a mystery, and a mystery would always trigger people’s nerves, especially teenager’s curious minds. That leads teenager at that time, who had no idea about sex, wanted to have sex to know about it. And when they had sex without any protection, they easily got STDs or HIV or even pregnancy. The case awakens society that sex education must be taught for students at the very first when they enter middle schools. But the way sex was taught those days was very much different from today. In the article “What the sex educators teach” posted on the Opposing View Point in Context website, Dana Mack has written about her experience when taking sex education class when she was a teen: “At the age of ten or eleven, girls and boys were herded into separate rooms - usually in the company of a parent. There, in industrial-gray pictures and solemn monotones, they were introduced to the world of gametes, ovaries, and menstruation. Not exactly titillating material, this reproductive information.” (Mack). Back in those days when sex was a newly revealed topic and sex education program had just been operated, people are still very shy to talk about sex and they often avoid having this kind of
Teenage sexual activity is a major problem confronting the nation and has led to a rising incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and teenage pregnancy. The existence of HIV/AIDS has given a sense of urgency to the topic of sex education. The issue of sex education in schools especially in the formative years has been a subject of intense debate among parents, school officials, health scientists and religious authorities worldwide for a considerable period of time. The debate centers on comprehensive sex education versus abstinence-only sex education in school. Abstinence only sex education is a sex education model that focuses on the virtue of abstinence from sexual activities; therefore, encouraging sexual abstinence until marriage. This form of sexual education completely ignores all other elements of comprehensive sexual education like safe sex and reproductive health education issues like the use of contraceptives and birth control methods. Comprehensive sex teaching encourages promiscuous sexual activity as “a natural part of life.” Proponents of abstinence only education activists cite several reasons why this type of education is the best. It focuses on the upholding of moral virtues. They also claim that sex outside marriage hat is “encouraged” by the comprehensive sex education which as a result, has some emotional and physical downfall especially when done at a very young age. They blame the comprehensive sex education for failing to discourage premarital sex especially at this time when the HIV pandemic is busy devouring young people in various parts of the world (Deborah 2). In fairness, both programs were designed to decrease the incidence of STDs...
From a young age, children are bombarded by images of the rich and the famous engaging in torrid public affairs or publicly discussing their increasingly active sex lives. No longer is sex education left to teachers and parents to explain, it is constantly in our faces at the forefront of our society. Regardless of sex education curriculums and debates about possible changes, children and teenagers are still learning everything they think there is to know about sex from very early on in their young lives. However, without responsible adults instructing them on the facts about sex, there are more likely to treat sex in a cavalier and offhanded fashion. According to Anna Quindlen’s essay Sex Ed, the responsibility of to education children about sex is evenly distributed between teachers and parents.
The controversy of whether sex education should be taught in schools has been a lingering argument for years. Opposing sides are so firm on their position that they will not consider those whose opinions counter their own, making it difficult to come up with a solution. Those who are against the teaching of sex education in school feel that they should be the ones educating their children about sex and that sex should be abstained from until marriage. On the other hand, people who support sexual education programs believe their children will learn the importance of contraception, learn how to have sex through the teachings of a professional, and how they can help open up better relationships with their parents.
Comprehensive sex education should be taught in all schools so as to save the future and the health of our children. In addition, comprehensive sex education is vital because it helps out youth to make the right decisions about sex. Moreover, these programs have proved to be efficient compared to abstinence-only programs. If there are abstinence-only programs in schools in many schools, then why are there still so many cases of teenage pregnancies and pre-marital sex among teenagers? It is very clear that there is a need for comprehensive sex education in all schools so that our teenagers can learn to be responsible through these programs.
As beautifully stated from the well-known group Salt-N-Peppa, “Let’s talk about sex.” More so, let’s talk about sex in our schools. Abstinence-only sex education is sex education based off the belief that teenagers should not have sex until they are married, and this education focuses on shaming teens into not having sex, as opposed to educating teens on safe sex involving the use of contraceptives. It is necessary to teach teenagers about safe sex; therefore, schools should abstain from teaching abstinence-only sex education in schools due to the lack of effectiveness and actual sex education because of the present bias. Abstinence-only sex education should not be taught in schools because it is useless.
If comprehensive sex education is offered at schools to children, it will allow them access to more information that if the parent tried to educate them. The reasons for this are that the teachers are specially trained to teach the children this information in a way that they can understand. Having this class at schools also provides the children with textbooks which offer even more things like drawings, diagrams and accurate information about sex education. Making sure teen have accurate information about sex important making sure that they are ready for sex instead of leaving them guessing or worst using inaccurate information.
Children is an early age needs to be informed of the dangers that come with life in regards to sexuality. Some students have never learned about the diseases that are possible by not being safe about sexual activity. That’s why it is important that they find out about it at an early age. It is important to know about the consequences of not being safe. Another reason, what if a teen has a disease? Sexual education will hopefully help the individual with seeking treatment.
According to the Advocates for Youth organization, “sex education is the cause of healthy sexual behavior and results in the decline of teen pregnancy.” This could be because sex education teaches young people about sex from a biological and scientific standpoint. Thus, explaining why teens physically feel a certain way when puberty happens. It answers lingering questions about the b...
First, sex education gives the children general knowledge about the sexual side of life, such as the differences between boys and girls and puberty. Teachers must clearly and intelligibly ...