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
Everyone has an opinion about sexuality education. From vocal parents at PTA meetings to state governors who must decide whether to apply for federal funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs or more comprehensive sexuality programs, or both, or neither. From school pri...
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.
Those in support of Comprehensive Sex education believe that if teens get complete and accurate information about sex, then they will be able to make better decisions (Magoon 57). Even those who remain abstinent until marriage need to be able to recognize an STD because their partner could have made a different decision and not remained abstinent (Magoon 57). There are many groups and organizations that promote Abstinence-only education or Comprehensive Sex education (Magoon 80-81). The debate over Sex education is almost solely a discussion of what is moral and what is practical, says Kekla Magoon (6-95). Abstinence-only advocates main issue with Comprehensive Sex education is the debate of whether or not giving teens more information actually leads them to being sexually active (Magoon 73).
The “talk” about sexuality has never been a topic many like to discuss with tweens or teens, but it has to be addressed sometime during their lifetimes. Sex is a natural experience that is used for reproduction and the building of an emotional connection. However, many teens engage in pre-marital sex and have no knowledge about protecting themselves. Sexual education teaches about human sexuality and how abstinence should be practiced to prevent sexual transmitted diseases (STDs) and unplanned pregnancies. Yet, sexual education classes are mostly for those in college.
Sex is a natural, healthy part of our lives and we have the right to a proper sex education in schools. Sex education in schools have been a controversial topic since 1912, which is when teachers began to be trained on how to teach sex education. The main debate today is whether the sex education should focus on abstinence-only programs or comprehensive programs. Abstinence-only programs focus on teaching students that the only socially acceptable time to have sex is during marriage and abstinence is the only way to protect yourself from contracting STD’s and from becoming pregnant. Comprehensive sex education focuses on reducing the spread of STD’s and teen pregnancies by giving you the facts and information of the different forms of contraceptives that are available. Although America’s various cultures have different views of sex education, it’s important to teach students proper sex education in schools because there is hardly any
Two drastic Emergency Room cases were handled in 1998 at Mary Washington Hospital. Concerned mothers brought their 12 year old daughters into the hospital thinking they were suffering from severe stomach pain or even appendicitis…both girls were actually in labor (Abstinence, 2002). The United States has the highest teen pregnancy, birth, and abortion rates in the Western world (Planned Parenthood, 2003). Are teens getting enough knowledge on sex and how to prevent STDs and unwanted pregnancies? Another heartbreaking statistic is that teenagers have the highest rate of STDs of any age group, with one in four young people contracting an STD by the age of 21 (Sex-Ed Work, 2003). Is sex education really working in school? Or do we need to change the type of curricula that is taught? There is no question that sex education should be taught in schools, but the question is how? The purpose of this paper is to determine which curricula of sex education should be taught in schools to be most effective in lowering STD and pregnancy rates among teenagers.
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...
Students should be informed about more than just “don’t have sex” because eventually it is going to happen and they need to be educated on the proper way to handle the situations. Because students are mostly taught abstinence it has created the situation to where researchers find” Abstinence-only education, instead of reducing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, has made teenagers and young adults more vulnerable to ST...
Quindlin, Anna. "Sex Ed." The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues across the Disciplines. By Gilbert H. Muller. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 275-77. Print.
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.
Sexuality Information and Education Conflict of the United States. (n.d.). An Explanation of Federal Funding for More Comprehensive Approaches to Sex Education.
...ive amount of research, it is obvious that sex education in the United States is an important topic to teach in schools. This is something that can affect not only the students body, but also their future. It must be taught. Students not only need to know the consequences of having sex, but also how to protect themselves and their partners. The comprehensive approach has been proven to be the most effective method on adolescents. In closing l, comprehensive sex education keeps students safe and well informed. Comprehensive sex education covers everything about sex and not just abstinence only. Empowering students with the knowledge to protect themselves from any situation is one of the most important aspects of sex education. Comprehensive sex education not only prepares students, but helps society grow as a whole by preparing American adolescents for their future.
Martinez, Gladys, Joyce Abma, and Casey Copen. “Educating Teenagers About Sex In The United States”. CDC.GOV. Center of Disease Control and Prevention, 15 Sept. 2010. Web. 09 Feb.2014
Sex education can help our young people develop positive mindsets and have safe actions that will in the long run keep their bacterial level low and keep them healthy. It will help keep our youth safe. It will help reduce the number of deaths in young lives do to sexual transmitted diseases. It will reduce the number of young pregnancy percentage as well.
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...