Sex education has become a taboo subject in America due to the negative association society has established when teaching young adults about sex. As a result, schools have been looked to as the resource to teach sexual education. In 2013 President Obama pushed for a bill that would allow comprehensive sexual education in kindergarten. The bill caused uproar but brought to light the dysfunction of sex education in America. This bill was influenced from the Dutch’s method in the Netherlands. In comparison to other countries such as the Netherlands, America has fallen dead last in any poll analyzing sexual health. This topic is important because it will shape generations of how people think and learn about sexual relationships. The current method …show more content…
Any school can dictate what is being said to the children. Sex education in America is primarily focused on abstinence only and STDs with no focus on relationships or consent. This leaves students even more uncomfortable with their bodies and sets in a fear of talking about or wanting to have sex. From my experience in high school, I learned the only option was abstinence and if I had sex, I would get an STD. From no one was I given helpful facts or any information about sexuality, gender equality, consent, or conception. Instead of treating teens as hormones that need to be tamed the Netherlands treat their “feelings of sexuality with respect” and that gives the “Dutch students a more grounded sense of self, good sexual boundaries, and builds a foundation of respect in sexual relationships” (Bozarth). American and Dutch students are sexually active at almost the same time but the only difference is the Dutch are getting less STD’s and less pregnancies. So the truth is American teens are going to continue to have sex no matter what, that part is inevitable. Since there is no avoiding it why not give the students true and healthy information that would allow them to have effective relationships surrounding educated sex. An error in America’s part would be the fact that in 37 states schools are allowed to give medically incorrect information to the …show more content…
Officer Regina Coward, president of the Nevada Black Police Association teaches that there are only four outcomes to sex that are sexual assault, gangs, drugs, and prostitution (Weisman). Not only do methods like this inflict fear on the student but it is also misinforming them and giving them a negative perspective on something that is not supposed to be. Amy Schalet, associate professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, reasons that because of these methods “that people are actually being taught to be afraid of their sexual impulses, that they can’t regulate them and gender stereotypes” (Weisman). Another astonishing fact is in some areas of the county teachers can actually provide courses that are biased against specific races and ethnicities (Klein). Not only are students being misled about sex but they are being taught sexual intolerance which destroys the character of a country that is known for having sexual and religious freedom. Sex education should not be seen as a negative aspect but rather a positive experience in life and schools should relate sexuality in a positive way rather than threatening the students with information. Former Surgeon General David Satcher supports this with his claim that “we have created generations of people who are not comfortable with their own sexuality” (Melker). The Dutch are not the only
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.
“Throughout the 1980’s these arguments began to lose legitimacy as the American republic reiterated its support (Fose)”. “Although this topic is highly debated, 93 percent of Americans support “sex or sexuallity” courses being taught in high school and 84 percent supports teachings in junior high (Fose)”. More people requested sex education because of the AIDs epidemic. The AIDs epidemic cau...
Sex education in the United States has been an bi-polar opinionated topic within the education system. It's use and curriculum are affected by many forces such as politics, public health concerns, and religious affiliation to name just a few. There has though been clearly documented need for publics support for sex education programs in schools. What is often unknown, is Sex education was been introduced into the education systems as early as 1912. At this time the National Education Association requested for teachers to be trained in sexuality education. In the 1940s the United States Health Services supported Sex education programs in the school systems saying there was an urgent need for awareness. Though it wasn’t till 1955 that the American Medical Association in union with National Education Association published five pamphlets which were to be used for sex education in schools. Although even with the support of teachers and public health officials the use and implementation of sex education programs in school were heavily debated by many.
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 United States, there are many school districts that are not required to teach sex education at all. Instead, these districts teach what they call “abstinence-only education”. This education is to teach teens and young adults about not having sex, instead of how to have sex safely. So, is abstinence-only education effective enough to continue it in these districts?
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.
Sex education in public schools has been a controversial issue in the United States for over a decade. With the HIV and teen pregnancy crises growing, sex education is needed.
In the United States, there is a rising problem that is not going anywhere anytime soon, that is if we, as citizens, don 't change it. This problem is causing billions of dollars and people 's futures all because schools would rather teach ignorance than the truth. What’s the problem? Sex education. Although sex education may not seem like a rising conflict, it is actually one of the top controversial topics in our country regarding education. According to Brigid McKeon, “Each year, U.S. teens experience as many as 850,000 pregnancies, and youth under age 25 experience about 9.1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs)” (McKeon). This number is so unbelievable to any sane person, but somehow schools still won 't take the initiative to teach realistic sex education. Sex education can be taught in two different procedures- comprehensive or abstinence only. The difference between the two methods is that comprehensive sex education teaches abstinence as a secondary choice, so that teens who decide not to wait are well educated on how to keep themselves protected. Comprehensive sex education should be required in every single public school because it is the most effective method on how to keep teenagers well informed and prepared.
Sexual education has been a heated topic for years. The topic started in 1912 when the National Education Association wanted teachers to begin lecturing in sex ed programs.(Pardini, Priscilla) In 1940 the U.S. Public Health Service labeled sexual education an “urgent need” and strongly advocated it in schools.(Pardini, Priscilla) Though sexual education had support from health officials and educators, there were many opponents.(Pardini, Priscilla) Conservatives and health advisors battled over how sex ed benefits and how it should be taught in schools.(Pardini, Priscilla)
Have parents lost all control in the decision of when to teach their children about sex and sexual matters? In some states across America, it sure seems that way. Over the past decade, seventeen states have adopted mandates to teach comprehensive sex education, and thirty more have supported it (internet). West Virginia schools have implemented sex education in most high schools, but it may seep even further down, possibly to your community's elementary schools. While people are divided and confused in their concerns of this class being taught in grade schools, I disagree with the course being studied from kindergarten through third grades. Sex education should only be taught when a child inquires or one feels it is time for the child to know.
I believe that schools should teach sexual education. I think this because kids that are in school during this age do know or respect the dangers of being sexual active. They don 't know what it means to be protected, They will know about their own bodies and that of other genders. I believe they will have a new found respect for themselves and others. Teaching about it encourages students to develop themselves into better people. Anyone who values themselves and others are better equipped to develop great relationships with others. Pupils are able to take great positive approaches to managing their lives and develop skills that are needed to prepare them for the challenges that lay ahead. Not all parents inform their children about sexual
The glamorous side of sex is everywhere; music, tv shows, movies and social media. To a mature adult, it is easy to ignore the sexual messages in those outlets. However, to a teenager, going through mental and physical changes and peer pressure, it is extremely easy to fall for what is shown to “cool.” Everyone has fallen for half truths to be cool in their teenage life. It just so happens that teen pregnancies and STDs are not one of those things that one can simply walk away from. Babies and STDs leave a lasting effect on everyone involved. The National Conference of State Legislatures states:
Rates of sexually transmitted disease and teen pregnancy are higher in the United States than in any other domesticated country. Not surprising since American culture has brought sex to the forefront over the last few decades. The need for comprehensive sex education in schools can teach children that the romanticized relationships and sexual interactions in the media aren’t showing the whole story. For children with ...
Many believe sex and gender are the same but in reality they differ greatly. Gender takes in consideration what groups deem as normal behavior for a male and female. But sex is what your body parts consist of, your reproduction organs and a penis or vagina (Henslin, 2015, p. 291). You come into this world with a sex, but the world around you influences whether you choose to express yourself in a feminine or masculine way. Where you are in the world impacts what you and your society view as correct behavior for men and women.
Before moving on, one must know that sex education is about, but not limited to the discussion of sexual intercourse. As a Buzzle article states, it involves a multitude of topics that introduce human sexual behaviors such as puberty, sexual health, sexual reproduction, sexuality, and more (Iyer). If formally received in school, these topics are brought up and discussed at age-appropriate times over the course of children’s junior high and high school education. Moreover, as I have introduced earlier, the way sex education should be taught is divided into two approaches. It is between taking either a conservative, abstinence-only approach or a more liberal, comprehensive approach. Abstinence-only education, approaches students by stressing the importance of “no sex before marriage” as be...