Sex Education In Schools Essay

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Trevor Sicardi Prof. Agama ENC 1102 16 April 2014 Sex Education in Schools 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. Kayla Bell writes, in the article Abstinence Is Only Sure Way to Prevent Pregnancy, STDs, that Roslyn Murphy, the mother of an 11 year old boy, believes that she and her husband should be the ones to tell their son what is right and wrong. Murphy said "As a parent, I need to teach my children about sex education, and biblically, I believe in what God is saying -- to reiterate the reasoning for not having sex." While many studies prove that this method is ineffective, advocates who are pro-abstinence stand by their decision and have statistics of their own to point out. For example, a study conducted in 2010 found that a third of the six and seventh graders who participated in abstinence-only education reported that they had sex two years later. About half of the other students who did not partake in the course reported having sex in the same time period, but the two groups' reported the use of condoms were the same (Bell). Roslyn Murphy isn’t the on... ... middle of paper ... ...ed in school will always be a controversial issue. There are always going to be people who just cannot come to an agreement on opinions that they feel strongly towards. The opposing side feels that they should be the ones educating their children about sex and that sex should be abstained from until marriage. The affirmative side 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. The problem lies in the fact that both sides believe that they have the best interest for the children. In my opinion, I believe that for both sides to come to a compromise, sexual education should be offered to everyone in school, but if the parents would not like their children to take the course they can opt out of it.

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